M  E  M  0  I  R  S 


THE   COURT  OP 


HUE   ANTOINETTE, 


QUEEN  OF  FRANCE. 


BY  MADAME  CAMPAN, 

FIRST  LADY  OF  THE  BEDCHAMBER  TO  THE  QUEEN. 


?HK    THIRD    LONDON    EDITION;    WITH    A    BIOGRAPHICAL 
INTRODUCTION    FROM    "THE  HEROIC    WOMEN  OF 
THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION," 

BY  M.  DE  LAMARTINE, 

MEMBER   OF    THE   EXECUTIVE   GOVERNMENT    OF   FRAXCE. 

t:W  EDITION,  WITH  THREE  ADDITIONAL  CHAPTERS. 

IN  TWO    VOLUMES. 
VOL.  I. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PAKKY    \-    MCMILLAN, 

SUCCESSORS  TO  A.  HART,  LATE  CAREY  &  HART. 

1854. 


Printed  by  T.  K  &  P.   G    Collins. 


CONTENTS 


THE    FIRST    VOLUME. 


PAOB 

BIOGRAPHICAL   NOTICE    BY    M.    DE    LAMAKTINE ill 

BIOGRAPHICAL   NOTICE   OF   MADAME    CAMFAN vii 

AUTHOR'S  PREFACE xlvii 

CHAPTER  I. 

COURT  OF  LOUIS  XV. — HIS  CHARACTER — THE  KING'S  DEBOTTER — CHARAC- 
TERS OF  THE  PRINCESSES — RETIREMENT  OF  MADAME  LOUISE  TO  THE  CAR- 
MELITES OF  SAINT  DENIS — MADAME  DU  BARRY — THE  COURT  DIVIDED 
BETWEEN  THE  PARTY  OF  THE  DUKE  DE  CHOISEUL  AND  THAT  OF  THE  DUKE 
D'AIGUILLON 53 

CHAPTER  II. 

BIRTH  OF  MARIE  ANTOINETTE  ATTENDED  BY  A  MEMORABLE  CALAMITY — 
A  FEATURE  OF  MARIA  THERESA'S  CHARACTER EDUCATION  OF  THE  ARCH- 
DUCHESSES— PRECEPTORS  PROVIDED  FOR  MARIE  ANTOINETTE  BY  THE  COURT 
OF  VIENNA — PRECEPTOR  SENT*HER  BY  THE  COURT  OF  FRANCE — ABBE  DE 
VERMOND — CHANGE  IN  THE  FRENCH  MINISTRY — CARDINAL  DE  ROHAN  SUC- 
CEEDS BARON  DE  BRETEUIL,  AS  AMBASSADOR  AT  VIENNA — PORTRAIT  OF 
THAT  PRELATE 68 

• 

CHAPTER  HI. 

ARRIVAL  OF  THE  ARCHDUCHESS  IN  FRANCE — BRILLIANT  RECEPTION  OF 
THE  DAUPHINESS  AT  VERSAILLES — SHE  CHARMS  LOUIS  XV. — MADAME  DU 
BARRY'S  JEALOUSY — COURT  INTRIGUES — THE  DAUPHIN — HIS  BROTHERS, 
AND  THEIR  WIVES  .  .78 


2040323 


CONTEXTS. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

PACK 

DEATH  OF  LOUIS  XV. — PICTURE  OF  THE  COURT — MADAME  DU  BARRY 
DISMISSED — DEPARTURE  OF  THE  COURT  TO  CHOISY — M.  DE  MAUREPAS 
MINISTER — INFLUENCE  OF  EXAMPLE  UPON  THE  COURTIERS — ENTHUSIASM 

RAISED    BY  THE   NEW   REIGN — MOURNING   AT   LA  MUETTE THE  QUEEN — 

THE  KING  AND  THE  PRINCES,  HIS  BROTHERS,  ARE  INOCULATED — STAY  AT 
MARLY — CALUMNIES  AGAINST  THE  QUEEN — BCEHMER,  THE  JEWELLER — 
MADEMOISELLE  BERTIN — CHANGES  OF  FASHION — SIMPLICITY  OF  THE 
COURT  OF  VIENNA — EXTREME  TEMPERANCE,  DECORUM,  AND  MODESTY  OF 
MARIE  ANTOINETTE .96 


CHAPTER  V. 

REVISION  OF  THE  PAPERS  OF  LOUIS  XV.  BY  LOUIS  XVI. — MAN  IN  THE 
TRON  MASK — THE  LATE  KING'S  INTEREST  IN  CERTAIN  FINANCIAL  COM- 
PANIES— REPRESENTATION  OF  IPHIGENIA  IN  AULIS — THE  KING  GIVES 
MTTLE  TRIANON  TO  THE  QUEEN — THE  ARCHDUKE  MAXIMILIAN'S  JOURNEY 
TO  FRANCE QUESTIONS  OF  PRECEDENCE — MISADVENTURE  OF  THE  ARCH- 
DUKE— LYING-IN  OF  THE  COUNTESS  D'ARTOIS — THE  POISSARDES  CRY  OUT 
TO  THE  QUEEN  TO  GIVE  HEIRS  TO  THE  THRONE — DEATH  OF  THE  DUKE 
DE  LA  VAUGUYON — PORTRAIT  OF  LOUIS  XVI. OF  THE  COUNT  DE  PRO- 
VENCE  OF  THE  COUNT  D*ARTOIS \  118 


CHAPTER  VI. 

SEVERE  WINTER — THE  PRINCESS  DE  LAMBALLE  APPOINTED  SUPERIN- 
TENDENT OF  THE  HOUSEHOLD — THE  COUNTESS  JULES  DE  POLIGNAC  APPEARS 
AT  COURT — PORTRAIT  OF  M.  DE  VAUDREUIL — DUKE  AND  DUCHESS  DE  DURAS 
—FASHIONABLE  GAMES  135 


CHAPTER  VII. 


THE  DUKE  DE  CHOISEUL  RETURNS  TO  COURT THE  QUEEN  OBTAINS  A 

PENSION  OF  1200  FRANCS  FOR  CHAMFORT SHE  INVITES  GLUCK  TO  FRANCE 

AND  PATRONIZES  MUSIC  SUCCESSFULLY — ENCOURAGEMENT  GIVEN  TO  THE 
ART  OF  PRINTING — TURGOT  :  M.  DE  SAINT  GERMAIN — AMUSEMENT  AT  COURT 

PARTICULARS  OF  THE  HOUSEHOLD — MASKED  BALLS  AT  THE  OPERA — THE 

QUEEN  GOES  THERE  ONE  DAY  IN  A  FIACRE  ;  SLANDEROUS  REPORTS  UPON 

THE  SUBJECT THE  HERON  PLUME — PORTRAIT  OF  THE  DUKE  DE  LAUZUN — 

THE  QUEEN'S  ATTACHMENT  TO  THE  PRINCESS  HE  LAMBALLE  AND  THE 
DUCHESS  DE  POLIGNAC ANECDOTE  OF  THE  ABBE  DE  VERMOND         .         .     148 


CONTENTS.  T 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

PAG* 

JOSEPH  THE  SECOND  VISITS  FRANCE — HIS  RECEPTION  AT  THE  OPERA 

FETE  GIVEN  TO  HIM  BY  THE  QUEEN  AT  TRIANON — FIRST  PREGNANCY  OF 

THE  QUEEN VOLTAIRE'S  RETURN  TO  PARIS — DUEL  BETWEEN  THE  COUNT 

D'ARTOIS  AND  THE  DUKE  DE  BOURBON — RETURN  OF  THE  CHEVALIER  D'EON 
TO  FRANCE — PARTICULARS  RELATIVE  TO  HIS  MISSIONS,  AND  THE  CAUSES 

OF  HIS  DISGUISE — NIGHT  PROMENADES  UPON  THE  TERRACE  OF  TRIANON 

COUPLETS  AGAINST  THE  QUEEN — INDIGNATION  OF  LOUIS  XVI. THE  BIRTH 

OF  MADAME 165 

CHAPTER  IX. 

PUBLIC  REJOICINGS — DEATH  OF  MARIA  THERESA  ;  THE  QUEEN'S  AFFLIC- 
TION— ANECDOTES  OF  MARIA  THERESA — BIRTH  OF  THE  DAUPHIN — BANK- 
RUPTCY OF  THE  PRINCE  DE  GUEMENEE — THE  DUCHESS  DE  POL1GNAC  IS 
APPOINTED  GOVERNESS  OF  THE  CHILDREN  OF  FRANCE — JEALOUSY  OF  THE 

COURT   PEOPLE — INTERESTING   PARTICULARS — STAY    AT    TRIANON MODE 

OF  LIFE  THERE — PRESUMPTION  OF  THE  DUKE  DE  FRONSAC — AMERICAN 
WAR — FRANKLIN — M.  DE  LA  FAYETTE — ORDER  FOR  ADMITTING  NONE  BUT 
GENTLEMEN  TO  THE  RANK  OF  OFFICER — SPIRIT  OF  THE  THIRD  ESTATE  .  186 

CHAPTER  X. 

VISIT  OF  THE  GRAND  DUKE  OF  RUSSIA  AND  HIS  DUCHESS  TO  FRANCE- 
ENTERTAINMENT  AND  SUPPER  AT  TRIANON — CARDINAL  DE  ROHAN COLD 

RECEPTION  GIVEN  TO  COUNT  D?HAGA  (GUSTAVUS  HI.,  KING  OF  SWEDEN) 

PEACE  WITH  ENGLAND THE  ENGLISH  FLOCK  INTO  FRANCE — CONDUCT  TO 

BE  OBSERVED  AT  COURT — MISSION  OF  THE  CHEVALIER  DE  BRESSAC  TO  THE 
QUEEN — COURT  OF  NAPLES — QUEEN  CAROLINE,  THE  MINISTER  ACTON — 
DEBATES  BETWEEN  THE  COURTS  OF  NAPLES  AND  MADRID — INSOLENT  REPLY 
OF  THE  SPANISH  AMBASSADOR  TO  QUEEN  CAROLINE — INTERFERENCE  OF 
FRANCE — MM.  DE  SEGUR  AND  DE  CASTRIES  APPOINTED  MINISTERS  THROUGH 
THE  QUEEN'S  INFLUENCE — TREACHERY  OF  M.  DE  MAUREPAS  TOWARDS 
M.  NECKER — APPOINTMENT  OF  M.  DE  CALONNE — JUDICIOUS  REFLECTIONS 
OF  MARIE  ANTOINETTE 210 

CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  QUEEN  IS  DISSATISFIED  WITH  THE  APPOINTMENT  OF  M.  DE  CALONNE — 
ACTS  OF  BENEVOLENCE — PURCHASE  OF  SAINT  CLOUD — REGULATIONS  OF  IN- 
TERNAL POLICE  :  IN  THE  QUEEN'S  NAME — STATE  OF  FRANCE — BEAUMAR- 
CHA1S — MARRIAGE  OF  FIGARO CHARACTER  OF  M.  DE  VAUDREUIL  .  .  228 

RECOLLECTIONS,  SKETCHES,    AND   ANECDOTES,    BY   MADAME    CAMPAJT  .   239 

HISTORICAL   ILLUSTRATIONS   BY    MADAME    CAMPAN 279 

HISTORICAL   ILLUSTRATIONS  AND   OFFICAL   DOCUMENTS  .  294 


BIOGRAPHICAL    NOTICE 


MARIE    ANTOINETTE, 

BY 

M.    DE   LAMARTINE. 


THE  first  of  the  characters  of  the  Heroic  Women  of  the 
French  Revolution,  is  Marie  Antoinette,  entitled  to  this  pre- 
eminence, whether  in  reference  to  the  elevation  of  her  rank, 
the  great  influence  she  had  on  the  Revolution,  or  the  im- 
mensity of  her  misfortunes.  The  daughter  of  kings,  the  wife 
and  mother  of  kings,  the  cynosure  of  all  eyes  in  the  most  elegant 
and  polished  capital  of  the  world ;  profuse  amid  profusion,  the 
envied  and  admired  of  all  beholders,  for  station,  personal  charms, 
and  all  the  accessories  which  power,  a  throne,  and  youth,  can 
bring  to  happiness ;  she  saw  that  power  annihilated,  her  throne 
overturned,  her  husband  murdered,  her  friends  and  adherents 
massacred  and  exiled,  her  son  handed  over  to  a  profligate  and 
debased  ruffian  (worse  than  death),  her  sister  and  daughter  in 
prison,  herself  in  a  dungeon  and  in  rags,  deprived  of  the  common 
necessaries,  and  debarred  of  all  the  sympathies  that  make  life 

VOL.   I. 2 


ir  BIOGBAPHICAL  INTRODUCTION. 

dear  even  in  the  hovel ;  the  scoff  of  the  indigent  and  outcast 
wretches,  whose  existence  is  a  disgrace  to  civilization.  Who  can 
measure  such  a  depth  of  woe  ?  What  pen  can  do  justice  to 
such  a  fall  ?  •  Her  first-born  and  her  lord,  her  sorrows  for  her 
fallen  state  and  dignity,  herself  the  sport  of  circumstance  and 
football  of  fortune  :  or  else  appalling  them  by  their  chorus, 
revealing  the  tremendous  fulfilments  of  Providence's  retributive 
decrees  on  the  iniquities  of  a  race,  in  the  crash  of  empire,  and 
the  downfall  of  a  line  of  despots,  consummated  in  the  least 
offending  and  most  harmless  of  all. 

Marie  Antoinette  seemed  to  have  been  created  by  Nature  to 
contrast  with  the  King,  and  to  entail  the  eternal  interest  and 
pity  of  posterity  on  one  of  those  State  dramas,  which  are  imper- 
fect unless  the  misfortunes  of  a  woman  complete  them.  Daughter 
of  Maria  Theresa,  she  had  begun  life  in  the  ptorms  of  the 
Austrian  monarchy,  being  one  of  the  children  the  Empress  held 
by  the  hand,  when  she  presented  herself  as  a  suppliant  before 
the  faithful  Hungarians,  and  those  troops  shouted,  "Let  us  die 
for  our  King,  Maria  Theresa."  Her  daughter,  too,  had  the 
heart  of  a  king.  On  her  arrival  in  France,  her  beauty  had 
dazzled  the  kingdom  :  that  beauty  was  now  in  its  full  splendour.* 
She  was  of  a  tall  and  flexible  figure :  a  true  daughter  of  the 
Tyrol.  The  two  children  she  had  given  the  throne,  far  from 
injuring,  added  to  the  impression  of  her  person  that  character 
of  maternal  majesty  which  sits  well  on  the  mother  of  a  nation. 
The  presentiment  of  her  misfortunes,  the  remembrance  of  the 
tragic  scenes  of  Versailles,  the  inquietudes  of  each  day,  had 
rather  paled  her  early  bloom,  at  the  time  we  are  describing  her. 
The  natural  majesty  of  her  person  took  nothing  from  the  grace 

*  After  the  return  of  the  King  from  Versailles  to  Paris. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   INTRODUCTION.  v 

of  her  movements  :  her  neck,  well  detached  from  her  shoulders, 
had  those  magnificent  inflexions  which  give  so  much  expression 
to  the  attitudes.  The  woman  was  perceptible  beneath  the  queen, 
the  tenderness  of  her  heart  under  the  majesty  of  her  condition. 
Her  auburn  hair  was  long  and  silky ;  her  lofty  and  rather  pro- 
jecting forehead  joined  the  temples,  in  those  fine  curves  which 
impart  so  much  delicacy  and  sensibility  to  that  seat  of  thought 
or  soul  in  woman ;  her  eyes  of  that  clear  blue,  which  recalls  the 
sky  of  the  North,  or  the  waters  of  the  Danube;  the  aquiline 
nose — a  sign  of  courage;  a  large  mouth,  brilliant  teeth,  and 
Austrian,  that  is,  pouting  lips ;  the  contour  of  her  face  was  oval, 
the  physiognomy  versatile  in  expression,  and  impassioned ;  in 
the  whole  of  her  features  that  splendour  which  cannot  be  de- 
scribed, which  darts  from  the  look,  the  shadow,  the  reflections 
of  the  countenance,  enveloping  the  whole  in  a  halo,  resembling 
the  warm  and  coloured  vapour  in  which  objects  touched  by  the 
sun  float;  —  last  expression  of  beauty  which  invests  it  with  the 
ideal,  renders  it  charming  and  changes  its  attractions.  With  all 
these  charms,  a  soul  thirsting  for  attachment,  a  heart  easily 
moved,  but  asking  only  to  be  fixed ;  a  smile  pensive  and  intelli- 
gent, which  had  nothing  vulgar  in  intimacies  and  preferences, 
because  she  felt  herself  worthy  of  friendship. — This  was  Marie 
Antoinette,  as  a  woman. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICE 


MADAME    CAMPAN. 


THE  private  history  of  royal  personages  is  a  subject  of  gene- 
ral interest.  Their  public  actions  are  too  much  disguised  by 
formality,  and  restricted  by  ceremony,  to  afford  any  insight  into 
their  inclinations  or  personal  character.  In  order  to  reach  these 
elevated  mortals,  we  must  strip  them  of  the  lustre  which  daz- 
zles us,  and  of  the  pomp  in  which  they  are  enveloped.  To  such 
an  eminence  docs  fortune  raise  them,  that,  but  for  the  indiscre- 
tions of  those  who  surround  them,  they  would  almost  be  regarded 
as  beings  of  a  superior  race.  Our  curiosity  is  also  frequently 
stimulated  by  a  jealous  feeling.  The  envy  excited  by  the  great- 
ness of  princes,  is  allayed  by  the  contemplation  of  the  appetites, 
passions,  and  caprices  in  which  they  resemble  the  rest  of  man- 
kind ;  the  self-love  which  their  glory  offends,  is  appeased  by  their 
weaknesses. 

The  memoirs  of  Marie  Antoinette  will  excite  neither  malig- 
nity nor  envy.  Can  there  yet  exist  a  feeling  adverse  to  her, 
which  the  recollection  of  her  misfortunes  does  not  convert  into 
pity  ?  Scarcely  has  her  brilliant  appearance  fixed  our  admira- 
tion, when  her  woes  claim  our  compassion.  Whilst  the  heart  is 
still  yielding  to  the  fascination  of  her  charms,  it  is  wrung  by  her 
sorrows  :  her  happy  hours  are  fled,  before  we  have  time  to  sym- 
pathize in  her  short-lived  felicity.  Amidst  the  rejoicings  with 
which  France  hails  her  appearance,  the  courtly  throngs  who  pay 

2* 


viii  BIOGRAPHICAL   NOTICE. 

homage  to  her,  the  gardens  in  which  her  simple  taste  delights, 
our  imagination  is  impressed  with  the  fate  that  awaits  her.  From 
the  saloons  of  Versailles,  or  the  groves  of  Trianon,  we  seem  to 
descry  the  towers  of  the  Temple.  Were  it  possible  for  the  most 
rigid  severity  to  conceive  the  slightest  reproach  against  her,  it 
would  die  on  the  lips,  amidst  the  sighs  of  regret,  and  the  accents 
of  grief. 

Madame  Campan's  work  will  leave  similar  impressions.  She 
had  numerous  enemies.  At  court,  where  favour  is  closely  fol- 
lowed by  envy,  her  success  created  jealousies;  she  was  punished, 
at  the  time  of  the  Revolution,  for  the  kindness  with  which  she 
had  been  honoured  by  the  Queen.  Those  who  never  felt,  as  she 
did,  the  point  of  the  sword  on  their  bosoms,  on  the  memorable 
10th  of  August,  reproached  her  with  timidity :  those  who  never 
threw  themselves,  like  her,  at  the  feet  of  Petion,  entreating  per- 
mission to  share  the  dangerous  captivity  of  Marie  Antoinette, 
have  called  her  fidelity  in  question.  After  having  calumniated 
her  conduct,  they  endeavoured  to  raise  a  prejudice  against  the 
spirit  in  which  her  Memoirs  are  written,  even  before  their  appear- 
ance. These  Memoirs  are  now  published,  and  I  have  the  gra- 
tification of  witnessing  the  confusion  of  disappointed  malevo- 
lence. Madame  Campan  has  taken  care  not  to  furnish  a  triumph 
to  her  enemies.  A  fragment  of  her  manuscripts  contains  the 
following  passage : — 

"I  shall  relate  what  I  have  seen.  I  shall  make  known  the 
character  of  Marie  Antoinette,  her  domestic  habits,  the  way  in 
which  she  spent  her  time,  her  maternal  affection,  her  constancy 
in  friendship,  her  dignity  in  misfortune.  I  shall,  in  some  degree, 
throw  open  her  private  apartments,  where  I  have  passed  so  many 
hours  with  her,  both  in  the  happiest  and  the  most  sorrowful 
years  of  her  life." 

She  afterwards  adds,  in  another  inedited  passage  : — 

"  I  have  lived  long ;  fortune  has  afforded  me  opportunities  of 
seeing  and  forming  an  opinion  of  the  celebrated  women  of  seve- 
ral periods.  I  have  been  intimate  with  young  persons,  whose 
elegance  and  amiable  disposition  will  be  remembered  long  after 


OF   MADAME   CAMPAN.  is 

they  have  ceased  to  exist ;  but  never  have  I  found,  in  any  class 
or  age,  a  woman  of  so  fascinating  a  character  as  Marie  Antoi- 
nette ;  one  who,  notwithstanding  the  dazzling  splendour  of 
royalty,  retained  such  tenderness  of  heart  j  who,  under  the  pres- 
sure of  her  own  misfortunes,  showed  more  sensibility  to  the  woes 
of  others.  I  never  saw  one  so  heroic  in  danger,  so  eloquent 
when  occasion  required,  so  unreservedly  gay  in  prosperity." 

These  words  are  sufficient  to  make  known  the  character  of  the 
work,  the  lively  interest  which  animates  it,  and  the  sentiments 
in  which  it  originated.  They  almost  induce  me  to  pity  the  ene- 
mies of  Madame  Campan,  whose  hatred  and  hopes  will  be  equally 
disappointed  by  these  Memoirs,  which  are  piquant  without  the 
aid  of  scandal,  and  in  which  the  simple  truth  excites  our  deepest 
sympathy.* 

Let  us  now  take  a  brief  survey  of  her  family,  and  her  early 
years. 

JEANNE  LO.UISE  HENRIETTE  GENET  was  born  at  Paris,  on  the 
Gth  of  October,  1752.  M.  Genet,  her  father,  had  obtained,  through 
his  own  merit  and  the  protection  of  the  Duke  de  Choiseul,  the 
place  of  the  first  clerk  in  the  oifice  of  the  minister  for  foreign 
affairs.  Literature,  which  he  had  cultivated  in  his  youth,  was 
now  the  solace  of  his  leisure  hours. 

Surrounded  by  a  numerous  family,  he  made  the  instruction  of 
his  children  his  chief  recreation ;  and  omitted  nothing  which 
was  necessary  to  render  them  highly  accomplished.  The  pro- 
gress of  the  youthful  Henriette,  in  the  study  of  music  and  of 

*  A  brief  explanation,  relative  to  the  ensuing  Notice,  appears  neces- 
sary. None  of  the  passages  or  anecdotes  which  it  contains,  will  be 
found  in  the  Memoirs.  For  the  anecdotes,  I  am  indebted  to  the  recol- 
lection of  the  relations,  friends,  and  pupils  of  Madame  Campan.  In 
the  perusal  of  her  manuscripts,  correspondence,  and  other  papers,  I 
have  collected  interesting  fragments,  of  which  I  have  not  hesitated 
to  make  use.  They  give  a  tone  of  truth,  both  to  the  minutest  particu- 
lars and  most  important  facts,  which  cannot  fail  to  be  attractive  and 
gratifying.  These  fragments  are  the  more  valuable  from  their  being 
entirely  in  Madame  Carnpan's  handwriting ;  they  will  be  distin- 
guished accordingly,  whenever  quoted  in  the  following  pages. 


x  BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICE 

foreign  languages,  was  such  as  to  surprise  the  first  masters ;  the 
celebrated  Albaneze  instructed  her  in  singing,  and  Goldoni  taught 
her  the  Italian  language.  Tasso,  Milton,  Dante,  and  even 
Shakspeare,  soon  became  familiar  to  her.  But  her  exercises 
were  particularly  directed  to  the  acquisition  of  a  fine  style  of 
reading.  From  prose  to  verse,  from  an  ode  to  an  epistle,  a  co- 
medy, or  a  sermon,  she  was  instructed  to  pass,  with  the  requisite 
variations  of  modulation  and  delivery.  Rochon  de  Chabannes, 
Duclos,  Barthe,  Marmontel,  and  Thomas,  took  pleasure  in  hear- 
ing her  recite  the  finest  scenes  of  Racine.  Her  memory  and 
genius,  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  charmed  them ;  they  talked  of 
her  talents  in  society ;  and,  perhaps,  applauded  them  too  highly. 
A  young  female  is  always  sure  to  pay  dearly  for  the  celebrity 
she  acquires :  if  she  is  beautiful,  all  the  women  become  her 
rivals ;  if  she  has  talents,  there  are  many  of  the  other  sex  weak 
enough  to  be  jealous  of  them. 

Mademoiselle  Genet  was  spoken  of  at  court.  Some  ladies  of 
high  rank,  who  took  an  interest  in  the  welfare  of  her  family,  ob- 
tained for  her  the  place  of  reader  to  the  princesses ;  and  a  week 
afterwards  she  left  her  father's  house.  To  be  at  court,  to  wear 
a  long  train,  a  hoop,  and  perhaps  even  rouge — here  was  a  change ! 
here  was  joy  !  Her  presentation,  and  the  circumstances  which 
preceded  it,  left  a  strong  impression  on  her  mind.  "I  was  then 
fifteen,"  she  says,  in  a  memorandum  which  she  did  not  intend 
for  the  press  ;  "  my  father  felt  some  regret  at  yielding  me  up, 
at  so  early  an  age,  to  the  malignity  of  courtiers.  When  I  put 
on  my  court  dress,  for  the  first  time,  and  went  to  embrace  him 
in  his  study,  tears  filled  his  eyes,  and  mingled  with  the  expression 
of  his  pleasure.  I  possessed  some  agreeable  talents,  in  addition 
to  the  instruction  which  it  had  been  his  delight  to  bestow  on  me. 
He  enumerated  all  my  little  accomplishments,  to  convince  me 
of  the  vexations  they  would  not  fail  to  draw  upon  me.  "  The 
princesses ,"  said  he,  "  will  take  pleasure  in  exercising  your 
talents ;  the  great  have  the  art  of  applauding  gracefully,  and 
always  to  excess.  Be  not  too  much  elated  with  these  compliments, 
rather  let  them  put  you  on  your  guard.  Every  time  you  receive 


OF   MADAME   CAMPAN.  xi 

such  flattering  marks  of  approbation,  the  number  of  your  ene- 
mies will  increase.  I  am  warning  you,  my  love,  of  the  inevi- 
table troubles  attached  to  the  course  of  life  on  which  you  are 
entering ;  and  I  protest  to  you,  even  now,  whilst  you  are  thus 
transported  with  your  good  fortune,  that  could  I  have  provided 
for  you  otherwise,  I  would  never  have  abandoned  my  dear  girl 
to  the  anxieties  and  dangers  of  a  court." 

"  This  language,"  adds  Madame  Campan,  who  wrote  these 
lines  at  St.  Germain,  in  1796,  under  the  government  of  the  Di- 
rectory, "  might  lead  one  to  imagine  that  my  father  had  a  prin- 
ciple of  republicanism  in  his  heart ;  but  this  would  be  an  error. 
He  was  a  royalist  in  his  political  opinions,  but  he  knew  and 
dreaded  the  abode  of  royalty.  One  may  be  a  royalist  and  yet  a 
philosopher;  just  as  a  republican  may  sometimes  be  an  in- 
triguing, ambitious  character." 

Mademoiselle  Genet,  at  fifteen,  was  somewhat  less  of  a  philo- 
sopher than  her  father  was  at  forty.  Her  eyes  were  dazzled  by 
the  splendour  which  glittered  at  Versailles.  "  The  Queen, 
Maria  Leckzinska,  the  wife  of  Louis  XV.  died,"  she  says,  "just 
before  I  was  presented  at  court.  The  grand  apartments  hung 
with  black,  the  great  chairs  of  state  raised  on  several  steps,  and 
surmounted  by  a  canopy  adorned  with  plumes ;  the  caparisoned 
horses,  the  immense  retinue  in  court  mourning,  the  enormous 
shoulder-knots,  embroidered  with  gold  and  silver  spangles,  which 
decorated  the  coats  of  the  pages  and  footmen — all  this  magnifi- 
cence had  such  an  effect  on  my  senses,  that  I  could  scarcely 
support  myself  when  introduced  to  the  princesses.  On  the  first 
day  of  my  reading  in  the  inner  apartment  of  the  princess  Vic- 
toire,  I  found  it  impossible  to  pronounce  more  than  two  sen- 
tences; my  heart  palpitated,  my  voice  faltered,  and  my  sight  failed. 
How  well  was  the  potent  magic  of  the  grandeur  and  dignity 
which  ought  to  surround  sovereigns  understood  at  Versailles ! 
Marie  Antoinette,  dressed  in  white,  with  a  plain  straw  hat  and 
a  little  switch  in  her  hand,  walking  on  foot,  followed  by  a  single 
servant,  through  the  walks  leading  to  the  Petit  Trianon,  would 
never  have  thus  disconcerted  me ;  and  I  believe  this  extreme  sim- 


rii  BIOGRAPHICAL   NOTICE 

plicity  was  the  first  and  only  real  fault  of  all  those  with  which 
she  is  reproached." 

When  once  her  awe  and  confusion  had  subsided,  Mademoiselle 
Genet  was  enabled  to  form  a  more  accurate  judgment  of  her 
situation ;  it  was  by  no  means  attractive ;  the  court  of  the  prin- 
cesses, far  removed  from  the  revels  and  licentious  pleasures  to 
which  Louis  XV.  was  addicted,  was  grave,  methodical,  and  dull. 
Madame  Adelaide,  the  eldest  of  the  princesses,  lived  secluded 
in  the  interior  of  her  apartments  ;  Madame  Sophie  was  haughty ; 
Madame  Louise,  a  devotee.  The  gloomy  pleasures  of  pride,  and 
the  exercises  of  scrupulous  devotion,  have  few  charms  for  youth. 
Mademoiselle  Genet,  however,  never  quitted  the  princesses'  apart- 
ments, but  she  attached  herself  most  particularly  to  Madame 
Victoire.  This  princess  had  possessed  beauty;  her  countenance 
bore  an  expression  of  benevolence,  and  her  conversation  was 
kind,  free,  and  unaifected.  Mademoiselle  Genet  excited  in  her 
that  feeling  which  a  woman  in  years,  of  an  affectionate  disposi- 
tion, readily  extends  to  young  people  who  are  growing  up  in  her 
sight,  and  who  already  possess  some  useful  talents.  Whole  days 
were  passed  in  reading  to  the  princess,  as  she  sat  at  work  in  her 
apartment.  Mademoiselle  Genet  often  saw  Louis  XV.  there. 
In  the  circle  of  her  intimate  friends  she  would  sometimes  relate 
the  following  anecdote  : — 

"  One  day,  at  the  castle  of  Compiegne,  the  King  came  in 
whilst  I  was  reading  to  Madame.  I  rose  and  went  into  another 
room.  Alone,  in  an  apartment  to  which  there  was  no  outlet  — 
with  no  book  but  a  Massillon,  which  I  had  been  reading  to  the 
princess — happy  in  all  the  lightness  and  gayety  of  fifteen,  I 
amused  myself  with  turning  swiftly  round,  with  my  court  hoop, 
and  suddenly  kneeling  down  to  see  my  rose-coloured  silk  petticoat 
swelled  around  me  by  the  wind.  In  the  midst  of  this  grave 
employment  enters  his  majesty,  followed  by  the  princess.  I 
attempt  to  rise ;  my  feet  stumble,  and  down  I  fall  in  the  midst 
of  my  robes,  puffed  out  by  the  wind.  "Daughter"  said  Louis 
XV.  laughing  heartily,  "  I  advise  you  to  send  a  reader  that 
maker  cheeses  bark  to  school" 


OF   MADAME   CAMPAN.  xiii 

There  was  nothing  very  severe  in  this  lesson.  But  the  rail- 
leries of  Louis  XV.  were  often  much  more  poignant,  as  Made- 
moiselle Genet  had  already  experienced  on  another  occasion, 
which,  thirty  years  afterwards,  she  could  not  relate  without  an 
emotion  of  surprise  and  fear,  which  it  seemed  as  if  she  had  never 
overcome.  "  Louis  XV.,"  she  said,  '.'  had  the  most  imposing 
presence.  His  eyes  remained  fixed  upon  you  all  the  time  he 
was  speaking ;  and  notwithstanding  the  beauty  of  his  features, 
he  inspired  a  sort  of  fear.  I  was  very  young,  it  is  true,  when 
he  first  spoke  to  me ;  you  shall  judge  whether  it  was  in  a  very 
gracious  manner.  I  was  fifteen.  The  King  was  going  out  to 
hunt ;  a  numerous  retinue  followed  him ;  he  stopped  opposite 
me.  '  Mademoiselle  Genet/  said  he,  '  I  am  assured  you  are 
very  learned,  and  understand  four  or  five  foreign  languages.'  '  I 
know  only  two,  sire/  I  answered,  trembling.  '  Which  are  they  ?' 
1  English  and  Italian.'  '  Do  you  speak  them  fluently  ?'  (  Yes, 
sire,  very  fluently.'  'That  is  quite  enough  to  drive  a  husband 
mad.'  After  this  pretty  compliment  the  King  went  on ;  the 
retinue  saluted  me,  laughing ;  and  for  my  part,  I  remained  mo- 
tionless with  surprise  and  confusion  for  some  moments  on  the 
spot." 

It  would,  however,  have  been  well  if  Louis  XV.  had  never 
indulged  in  more  cutting  repartees.  Kings  have  no  right  to  be 
scoffers  :  raillery  is  a  warfare  that  requires  equal  arms ;  and  one 
can  never  banter  to  advantage  with  a  wit  who  commands  twenty 
millions  of  men.  Justice  however  demands  the  acknowledgment, 
that  although  this  monarch  was  often  the  aggressor,  he  endured 
the  smartest  retorts  without  losing  his  temper.  Even  the  unex- 
pected familiarity  of  attacks  of  this  kind  might  be  a  pungent 
novelty  to  a  King,  so  long  wearied  by  the  burthen  of  greatness. 
With  an  easy  temper,  a  melancholy  turn,  a  satirical  genius,  this 
prince,  majestic  in  his  court,  irresolute  in  council,  agreeable  (it 
is  said)  at  an  evening  party,  could  not  escape  from  ennui  without 
the  aid  of  intemperance  or  debauchery.  A  woman,  whose  youth 
and  beauty  were  sullied  by  prostitution,  astonished  Versailles  at 
this  time  by  the  disgraceful  influence  she  had  acquired.  Ma- 


xiv  BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICE 

dame  du  Barry  was  effecting  the  dismissal  of  the  minister,  who 
had  just  negotiated  the  marriage  of  the  dauphin  with  the  arch- 
duchess Marie  Antoinette  of  Austria.  The  intrigues  of  the 
favourite,  the  rivalship  between  the  -Dukes  de  Choiseul  and 
d'Aiguillon,  the  disgrace,  of  the  one,  and  the  shameful  eleva- 
tion of  the  other,  occupied  the  last  moments  of  the  reign  of 
Louis  XV. 

The  Duke  de  Choiseul,  fickle,  haughty,  and  violent,  but 
•  agreeable,  brilliant,  and  generous,  had  an  active  mind,  great 
talents,  and  vast  ideas.  By  means  of  alterations  which  had  be- 
come necessary  in  the  army,  new  establishments  in  the  navy, 
new  institutions  and  alliances,  he  wished  to  raise  France  from 
the  abasement  into  which  she  had  sunk  through  a  long  series  of 
reverses.  He  sought  the  support  of  public  opinion;  was  a 
friend  to  parliaments,  an  enemy  to  the  Jesuits,  and  wielded  power 
with  a  light  and  jpsy  hand,  llesistunce,  provided  it  was  open 
and  honourable,  cBd  not  exasperate  him  ;  he  had  faith  in  the 
docility  of  a  nation,  whose  government  wished  to  render  it 
happy  at  home,  powerful  and  respectable  abroad.  His  pride,  a 
natural  failing,  became  a  virtue,  when  it  taught  him  never  to 
Btoop  to  flatter  shameful  caprices.  He  was  beloved  whilst  in 
power ;  sought,  I  had  almost  said  flattered,  when  in  exile ;  and 
he  even  inspired  courtiers  with  courage  to  remain  faithful  to  the 
unfortunate;  a  virtue  they  had  never  known  before. 

D'Aiguillon,  with  much  address,  boldness,  and  perseverance, 
was  obdurate,  despotic,  and  tyrannical ;  in  his  command,  as  well 
as  in  the  ministry,  his  authority  was  only  evinced  by  his  severi- 
ties. He  gained  credit  for  talents,  because  he  possessed  the 
spirit  of  intrigue,  and  much  ambition;  but  the  division  of  Po- 
land, effected,  as  it  were,  in  his  sight,  has  for  ever  blasted  his 
reputation  as  a  politician  and  a  man.  As  a  subtle  courtier,  a 
bad  man,  and  an  unskilful  minister,  he  became  obnoxious  to 
public  hatred,  which,  though  he  defied  it,  overwhelmed  him 
at  last. 

The  Duke  d'Aiguillon  did  not  understand,  that  force  is  but 
one  of  the  least  springs  of  power,  when  power  is  not  supported 


OP   MADAME  CAMPAN.^.  rv 

by  the  confidence  created  by  extensive  information,  great  services 
performed,  and,  above  all,  by  striking  successes.  He  was  de- 
ceived by  the  example  of  his  grandfather.  Richelieu,  while  he 
oppressed  the  great,  rendered  essential  services  to  France ;  his 
genius  induced  the  nation  to  overlook  his  despotism.  The  abase- 
ment of  Austria ;  the  humiliation  of  Spain ;  the  violent  restora- 
tion of  order  in  the  state ;  the  honours  of  literature ;  the  encou- 
'*-  ragcment  of  commerce,  redeemed,  in  a  great  degree,  the  tyran- 
nical acts  of  which  he -is  justly  accused.  He  imparted  to  the 
measures  of  government  something  of  the  loftiness  of  his  own 
character.  Undoubtedly  he  was  feared,  but  he  commanded 
admiration ;  and  nothing  induces  people  to  forgive  attacks  made 
upon  their  rights,  except  the  glory  which  dazzles  them,  or  the 
happiness  they  enjoy. 

The  Duke  de  Choiseul  has  been  reproached  with  having  aban- 
doned the  system  of  foreign  policy  eonceivedfby  Cardinal  Riche- 
lieu ]  it  seems  to  me,  that  it  would  be  more  just  to  accuse  the 
Duke  d'Aiguillon  of  having  eudeavoured,  at  a  later  period,  to 
follow  that  system,  without  understanding  it.  Since  the  time 
of  Louis  XIII.,  France  and  Austria  had  changed  places;  the 
one  still  rising,  the  other  sinking.  Under  Louis  XV.  the  house 
of  .Bourbon  reigned  at  Naples  and  Madrid,  as  well  as  at  Ver- 
sailles. The  triumphs  of  the  arms  of  France,  or  the  wisdom  of 
her  treaties,  had  successively  acquired  Alsace,  Franche-Comte, 
Flanders,  and  Lorraine.  The  magnanimous  Maria  Theresa  had 
.just  replaced  a  mutilated  crown  on  her  head ;  the  pride  of  the 
heiress  of  Rodolph  of  Hapsburgh  had  stooped  so  low  as  to  natter 
the  -vanity  of  Jeanne  Poisson,  Marchioness  of  Pompadour,  by 
calling  her  her  friend.  A  warlike  power  suddenly  arising  close 
to  Austria,  excited  her  jealousy,  and  occupied  her  attention  and 
her  forces.  The  Duke  de  Choiseul,  being  minister,  was  at 
liberty  to  direct  his  attention  to  a  greater  distance. 

After  the  battle  of  Pultowa,  Russia,  long  confined  to  the 
frozen  regions  of  the  north,  began  to  be  reckoned  as  one  of  the 
European  powers.  Four  women,  successively  placed  on  the 

VOL.  i. — 3 


- 

xvi  BIOGRAPHICAL   NOTICE 

throne  of  the  Czars,  had  completed  the  work  of  a  great  man 
A  persevering  system  of  aggrandisement,  and,  what  is  more 
extraordinary,  a  system  openly  declared,  was  rapidly  carrying 
into  effect.  Now  that  Russia  has  adopted  only  so  much  of  the 
arts  and  civilization  of  Europe  as  may  increase  her  military 
power,  without  enervating  her  soldiers ;  now  that  these  people, 
born  on  a  barren  soil,  in  a  severe  climate,  have  breathed  the 
sweet,  pure  air  of  our  countries,  if  that  powerful  colossus,  which 
already  presses  the  centre  of  Europe,  should,  with  its  extended 
arms,  succeed  in  reaching  from  the  Baltic  to  the  Mediterranean, 
what  refuge,  what  rampart,  would  remain  for  the  independence 
of  the  threatened  nations  ?  They  could  find  no  security  but  in 
the  coalition  of  the  southern  states;  which  is  precisely  the 
object  of  the  family  compact,  prudently  conceived,  and  effected 
with  address  by  the  Duke  de  Choiseul,  which  strengthened  the 
alliance  with  Austria.  Instead,  therefore,  of  accusing  the  shal- 
lowness  of  the  minister,  it  appears  to  me,  that  it  would  now  be 
more  just  to  do  honour  to  his  foresight.  Nevertheless,  the  alliance 
with  Austria  was  then  the  customary  pretext  for  the  attacks 
directed  against  him. 

I  would  willingly  have  avoided  these  details,  had  not  the  rival- 
ship  of  the  two  ministers  been  intimately  connected  with  the 
history  of  the  times  respecting  which  Madame  Campan  is  about 
to  speak.  The  Duke  de  Choiseul  had  the  parliaments,  the  philo- 
sophers, and  public  opinion,  on  his  side.  On  that  of  the  Duke 
d' Aiguillon  were  the  devotees  and  Madame  du  Barry ;  the  two 
factions  disputed  the  last  wishes  of  the  dying  Louis  XV. ;  they 
disturbed  the  first  years  of  Louis  XVI. ;  and  the  fatal  influence 
which  the  And- Austrian  party  exercised  over  the  fate  of  the 
youthful  Marie  Antoinette,  will  presently  appear. 

The  idea  of  uniting  the  daughter  of  Maria  Theresa  with  the 
grandson  of  Louis  XV.  had  been  conceived  by  the  Duke  de 
Choiseul  before  his  disgrace.  By  this  marriage  he  cemented  the 
alliance  of  the  two  states,  and  thought  he  was  securing  for  him- 
self the  favour  of  a  new  reign.  Thus  was  explained  the  sense 


OF   MADAME   CAMPAN.  xvii 

of  that  distich,  according  to  which  Austria  was  to  expect  more 
from  marriage,  than  from  war  or  treaties.* 

The  youth,  beauty,  and  disposition  of  the  princess,  were  every- 
where the  subjects  of  conversation.  Who,  that  had  seen  her 
quit  her  family,  to  take  a  place  on  the  first  steps  of  the  most 
splendid  throne  in  Europe,  would  have  ventured  to  form  the 
slightest  doubt  of  her  future  happiness  ?  Maria  Theresa,  happy, 
though  afflicted,  had  no  other  uneasiness,  on  her  dear  daughter's 
account,  than  that  which  arose  from  their  separation ;  and  yet 
prophetic  voices  seemed  already  to  threaten  the  future  evils 
which  awaited  her. 

Madame  Campan  often  related  an  anecdote  which  she  had 
heard  from  the  governor  of  the  children  of  Prince  Kaunitz. 
There  was  at  that  time  at  Vienna,  a  doctor  named  Gassner,  who 
had  fled  thither  to  seek  an  asylum  against  the  persecutions  of 
his  sovereign,  one  of  the  ecclesiastical  electors.  Gassner,  gifted 
with  an  extraordinary  warmth  of  imagination,  imagined  that  he 
received  inspirations.  The  Empress  protected  him;  saw  him 
occasionally;  rallied  him  on  his  visions,  and,  nevertheless,  lis- 
tened to  them  with  a  degree  of  interest.  "  Tell  me,"  said  she 
to  him,  one  day,  "whether  my  Antoinette  will  be  happy." 
Gassner  turned  pale,  and  remained  silent.  Being  still  pressed 
by  the  Empress,  and  wishing  to  give  a  general  kind  of  expres- 
sion to  the  idea  with  which  he  seemed  deeply  occupied ;  "Ma- 
dame," he  replied,  "  there  are  crosses  for  all  shoulders."^ 

*  I  do  not  believe  that  the  Turks  are  remarkable  for  saying  good 
things ;  but  they  are,  perhaps,  better  informed  than  is  generally  ima- 
gined, as  to  the  interests  of  the  Christian  powers,  and  the  views, 
means,  and  resources  of  their  cabinets.  It  is  said  that  the  Grand 
Signer,  on  receiving  the  decree  of  the  Convention,  which  ordained  the 
abolition  of  royalty  in  France,  could  not  help  saying,  "At  least  the 
Republic  will  not  marry  an  archduchess."  This  saying  is  rather  too 
French  to  be  Turkish ;  but  it  is  smart,  which  is  quite  enough  to  make 
people  quote  it. 

f  Jean  Joseph  Gassner,  born  at  Bratz,  on  the  frontiers  of  the  Tyrol, 
was  a  celebrated  pretender  to  miraculous  powers,  and  actually  believed 

' 


xviii  BIOGRAPHICAL   NOTICE 

These  words  were  sufficient  to  make  an  impression  on  tbte 
imagination  of  the  Germans.  Traditions  preserved  in  their 
country,  and  repeated  to  them  in  infancy;  a  mind  directed 
towards  research,  and  to  a  belief  in  all  that  is  vague  and  myste- 
rious; a  natural  inclination  to  melancholy,  seemed  to  prepare 
them  for  receiving  more  vividly  these  awful  impressions  and 
secret  warnings.  Marie  Antoinette,  as  will  be  seen  in  these  Me- 
moirs, was  far  from  being  able  to  repel  and  overcome  the  emo- 
tions of  involuntary  terror.  Goethe,  her  countryman,  the  cele- 
brated author  of  Wertcr,  abandoned  himself,  more  than  any  one, 
to  the  influence  of  these  presentiments,  which  it  is  often  difficult 
for  reason  to  triumph  over.  An  unfavourable  omen  had  occur- 
red to  him  on  the  young  princess's  arrival  in  France. 

Goethe,  who  was  then  young,  was  completing  his  studies  at 
Strasburg.  In  an  isle  in  the  middle  of  the  Rhine,  a  pavilion 
had  been  erected,  intended  to  receive  Marie  Antoinette  and  her 
suite.  "I  was  admitted  into  it,"  says  Goethe,  in  his  Memoirs. 
"  On  my  entrance,  I  was  struck  with  the  subject  depicted  in  the 
tapestry  with  which  the  principal  pavilion  was  hung,  in  which 
were  seen  Jason,  Creusa,  and  Medea,  that  is  to  say,  a  represen- 
tation of  the  most  fatal  union  commemorated  in  history.  On 
the  left  of  the  throne,  the  bride,  surrounded  by  friends  and  dis- 
tracted attendants,  was  struggling  with  a  dreadful  death.  Jason, 
on  the  other  side,  was  starting  back,  struck  with  horror  at  the 
sight  of  his  murdered  children ;  and  the  Fury  was  soaring  into 
the  air,  in  her  chariot  drawn  by  dragons."  Superstition  apart, 
this  strange  coincidence  was  really  striking.  The  husband,  the 
bride,  and  the  children,  were  victims  in  both  cases ;  the  fatal 
omen  seemed  accomplished  in  every  point.  Maria  Theresa  might 
have  repeated  the  fine  verses  which  the  father  of  Creusa  ad- 
dresses to  his  expiring  daughter,  in  the  Medea  of  Corneille : — 

This,  then,  my  child,  the  hymeneal  day, 

The  royal  union  anxiously  expected ! 

Stern  fate  extinguishes  the  bridal  torch, 

And  for  thy  marriage-bed,  the  tomb  awaits  thee. 

himself  endowed  with  the  faculty  of  curing  a  multitude  of  disorders, 
by  the  mere  imposition  of  his  hands. 


OP   MADAME   CAMPAN.  xix 

But  if  we  seek  fatal  omens,  those  which  attended  the  marriage 

7  O 

festivities  at  Paris,  may  well  suffice.  The  occurrences  at  the 
Place  Louis  XV.  are  generally  known,  and  it  is  unnecessary  to 
itate  how  the  conflagration  of  the  scaffolds  intended  for  the  fire- 
•yorfcs,  the.magistrates'  want  of  foresight,  the  avidity  of  robbers, 
ibo  murderous  career  of  the  coaches,  brought  on  and  aggravated  the 
disasters  of  the  day ;  or  how  the  young  dauphiness,  coming  from 
Versailles,  by  the  Cours  la  Reine,  elated  with  joy,  brilliantly 
decorated,  and  eager  to  witness  the  rejoicings  of  the  whole  people, 
fled,  struck  with  consternation,  and  drowned  in  tears,  whilst  the 
dreadful  scene,  and  the  cries  of  the  dying,  pursued  her  dis- 
tracted imagination. 

Having  been  led  to  notice  this  calamitous  event,  I  will  briefly 
notice  one  of  the  scenes  it  presented.  Amidst  this  distracted 
multitude,  pressed  on  every  side,  trampled  under  the  horses' 
feet,  precipitated  into  the  ditches  of  the  Rue  Royale  and  the 
Square,  was  a  young  man  with  a  girl  with  whom  he  was  in  love. 
She  was  beautiful;  their  attachment  had  lasted  several  years; 
pecuniary  causes  had  delayed  their  union  ;  but  the  following  day 
they  were  to  be  married.  For  a  long  time  the  lover,  protecting 
his  mistress,  keeping  her  behind  him,  covering  her  with  his  own 
person,  sustained  her  strength  and  courage.  But  the  tumult,  the 
cries,  the  terror,  and  peril,  every  moment  increased.  "I  am 
sinking,"  she  said  ;  "  my  strength  fails — I  can  go  no  farther." 
"  There  is  yet  a  way,"  cried  the  lover,  in  despair ;  "  get  on  my 
shoulders."  He  feels  that  his  advice  has  been  followed,  and  the 
hope  of  saving  her  whom  he  loves,  redoubles  his  ardour  and 
strength.  He  resists  the  most  violent  concussions  :  with  his 
arms  firmly  extended  before  his  breast,  he  with  difficulty  forces 
his  way  through  the  crowd;  at  length  he  clears  it.  Arrived  at 
one  of  the  extremities  of  the  place,  having  set  down  his  precious 
burthen,  faltering,  exhausted,  fatigued  to  death,  but  intoxicated 
with  joy,  he  turns  round ;  it  was  a  different  person.  Another, 
more  active,  had  taken  advantage  of  his  recommendation;  his 
beloved  was  no  more  ! 

The  sensibility  and  benevolence  of  Marie  Antoinette  miti- 
3* 


XT  BIOGRAPHICAL   NOTICE 

gated  calamities  which  she  had  not  power  to  remedy.  Madame 
Campari,  from  that  time,  was  placed  sufficiently  near  her,  to 
estimate  all  the  emotions  of  her  generous  heart.  The  marriage 
of  the  dauphin  had  been  celebrated  in  the  month  of  May,  1770. 
None  of  the  princes,  his  brothers,  were  yet  married ;  the  dau- 
phiness  had,  at  first,  no  intimate  society  but  that  of  the  prin- 
cesses. Of  these  the  most  affable  was  Madame  Victoire ;  and 
it  was  to  her  that  Marie  Antoinette  paid  her  most  constant  visits. 
There  she  almost  always  met  Mademoiselle  Genet,  whose  talents 
and  similar  age  to  her  own,  attracted  her  notice.  Mademoi- 
selle Genet  often  accompanied  her  on  the  harp  or  piano,  when 
she  amused  herself  with  singing  the  airs  of  Gretry.  The 
dauphiness  was  also  frequently  present  at  the  readings  which 
took  place  at  the  princess's;  she  already  appreciated  the  unction 
of  the  petit-careme,  and  the  brilliant  imagination  of  a  poet,  who 
afterwards  mourned  her  misfortunes  in  affecting  verses. 

At  court,  where  favour  leads  to  fortune,  the  regard  with  which 
the  princesses  and  the  dauphiness  honoured  Mademoiselle  Genet, 
was  soon  observed.  Her  establishment  was  talked  of,  and  she 
soon  afterwards  married  M.  Campan,  whose  father  was  secretary 
of  the  Queen's  closet.*  Louis  XV.  bestowed  on  her  a  pension 

*  The  family  of  Campan,  originally  from  the  valley  of  Campan,  in 
Berne,  had  adopted  the  name  of  that  place,  as  their  own  surname. 
Their  true  name  was  Berthollet.  The  celebrated  chemist,  whom  the 
sciences  have  lately  lost  (in  1822),  was  related  to  this  family.  I  find  in 
the  manuscripts  before  me,  a  trait  highly  honourable  to  his  character. 

"  On  the  side  of  the  Berthollets,"  said  Madame  Campan  to  her  son, 
in  a  paper  intended  for  his  information,  "  one  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished members  of  the  institute  must  be  of  the  same  family ;  but 
from  a  sense  of  dignity,  and  a  repugnance  for  those  who  frequented 
the  court,  and  were  in  favour,  he  said  to  several  persons  at  Paris,  in 
1788,  that  he  was  related  to  a  Berthollet  Campan,  who  had  a  place 
about  the  Queen,  at  Versailles,  but  that  he  felt  no  inclination  to  go 
and  explain  his  relationship  to  that  gentleman,  feeling  apprehensive  of 
passing  for  a  worshipper  of  influence  and  fortune.  My  advice,"  adds 
Madame  Campan,  "  would  have  been,  to  seek  a  man  who  evinced  a 
character  so  different  from  that  which  is  usually  met  with  in  persons 
in  the  situation  to  which  fate  had  destined  us." 


OF   MADAME   CAMPAN.  xxi 

of  5000  livrcs,  and  the  dauphincss  secured  her  a  place  as  feinme 
de  chambre,  allowing  her,  at  the  same  time,  to  continue  her 
duties  as  reader  to  the  princesses. 

It  is  here  that  the  Memoirs  of  Madame  Campan  may  truly  be 
said  to  begin  ;  the  first  chapter,  descriptive  of  the  court  of  Louis 
XV.  being  only  a  lively  introduction.  During  a  period  of 
twenty  years,  from  the  marriage  festivities  to  the  attack  of  the 
10th  of  August,  Madame  Campan  never  quitted  Marie  An- 
toinette. On  the  Queen's  side  all  was  goodness  and  unreserved 
confidence ;  it  will  be  seen  whether  Madame  Campan  did  not 
return  the  favour  of  her  patroness  by  gratitude,  faith,  and  de- 
votedness,  proof  against  all  calamity,  and  superior  to  all  danger. 
In  speaking  of  Marie  Antoinette,  she  has  depicted  the  hatred  of 
her  enemies,  the  avidity  of  her  flatterers,  and  the  disinterested 
ness  of  the  real  friends  whom  she  possessed,  although  seated  on 
the  throne.  But,  as  she  generally  confines  herself  to  the  do- 
mestic circle  in  which  Marie  Antoinette  delighted,  it  is  indispen- 
sably necessary  to  take  a  survey  of  the  spirit  of  that  period,  and 
particularly  the  manners  of  society. 

I  shall  not  recall  the  scandalous  years  of  the  regency,  a  period 
when  the  court,  escaping  from  the  constraint  of  a  long  course  of 
hypocrisy,  combined  the  excesses  of  debauchery  with  sarcasms 
of  the  most  audacious  impiety.  But  it  is  necessary  to .  notice 
particularly  the  reign  of  Louis  XV. ;  because,  during  that 
reign,  corruption  presented  two  distinct  periods.  Of  the  first  of 
these,  Richelieu  was  the  model  and  the  hero.  To  love  without 
pleasure ;  to  yield  without  resistance ;  to  part  without  regret ; 
to  call  duty  a  weakness,  honour  a  prejudice ;  delicacy  affectation 
— such  were  the  manners  of  the  times ;  seduction  had  its  code, 
and  immorality  was  reduced  to  principles.  Even  these  rapid 
successes  soon  tired  those  who  obtained  them ;  perhaps,  because 
the  facility  with  which  triumphs  were  gained,  diminished  their 
value.  Courtiers  and  rich  financiers  maintained,  at  enormous 
expense,  beauties  with  whom  they  were  not  expected  even  to  be 
acquainted ;  vice  became  a  mere  luxury  of  vanity ;  and  the  con- 


xiii  BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICE 

dition  of  a  courtesan  led  rapidly  to  fortune,  I  had  almost  said  to 
honour. 

In  the  years  preceding  the  accession  of  Louis  XVI.  to  the 
throne,  and  those  immediately  following,  society  presented  a 
new  spectacle.  Manners  were  not  improved,  but  altered.  By  a 
strange  abuse,  apologies  were  found  for  depravity,  in  the  philo- 
sophical ideas  which  daily  grew  more  fashionable.  The  new 
partisans  of  these  principles  promulgated  such  noble  maxims, 
thought  and  discoursed  so  well,  that  they  were  not  obliged  to  act 
with  propriety.  Men  might  be  inconstant  husbands,  and  women 
faithless  wives,  so  that  they  spoke  with  respect,  with  enthusiasm, 
of  the  sacred  duties  of  marriage.  The  love  of  virtue  and  of 
mankind  was  sufficient,  without  practical  morality.  Women, 
surrounded  by  their  lovers,  discussed  the  means  of  regenerating 
social  order.  There  was  not  a  philosopher  admitted  into  one 
of  the  fashionable  circles,  who  did  not  modestly  compare  him- 
self to  Socrates  with  Aspasia ;  and  Diderot,  the  daring  author 
of  Philosophical  Thoughts,*  the  licentious  writer  of  the  Bijoux 
Indiscrets,  though  he  aspired  to  the  glory  of  Plato,  did  not 
blush  to  imitate  Petronius. 

Let  it  not,  however,  be  supposed,  that  it  is  my  intention  to 
censure  the  philosophers ;  if  their  conduct  was  irregular,  most 
of  their  doctrines  were  pure,  and  have  passed  from  their  writings 
into  our  morals.  If  the  ties  of  kindred  have  been  drawn  closer ; 
if  we  are  better  husbands,  fathers,  and  citizens ;  if  vice  is  des- 
pised j  if  young  people,  intent  on  serious  studies,  reject  disdain- 
fully the  licentious  works  which  the  libertinism  of  their  fathers 
encouraged,  we  owe  these  advantages  to  a  new  order  of  things. 
In  morality,  as  well  as  in  politics,  legislation,  and  finances,  the 
philosophers  have  led  the  way  to  useful  reforms.  Their  writings, 
ill  understood  at  that  period,  but  read  with  avidity,  gave  them 
a  great  influence  over  public  opinion.  The  court,  long  accus- 
tomed to  the  influence  which  wit,  polished  manners,  and  the  habit 
of  filling  great  offices,  secured  to  it,  was  astonished  to  see  this 
new  power  springing  up  by  its  side.  Instead  of  opposing,  it 

*  Pensies  Philosophiques. 


OF  MADAME  CAMPAN.  xxiii 

flattered  this  competitor.  Enthusiasm  gained  on  every  mind  ; 
it  was  at  the  tables  and  in  the  drawing-rooms  of  the  first  nobles, 
that  the  distinctions  of  rank  were  boldly  treated  as  prejudices. 
These  principles  of  equality  often  found  partisans  amongst  the 
nobility,  who  were  the  more  zealous  in  defending  them,  because 
this  conduct  appeared  a  proof  of  their  generosity.  It  became 
almost  an  acknowledged  truth,  that  merit  was  superior  to  birth ; 
and  it  is  fair  to  add,  that  there  was  amongst  the  nobility  at  that 
time,  as  there  is  now,  a  great  number  of  men  who  were  unin- 
terested in  protesting  against  this  new  doctrine. 

Thus,  whilst  the  middling  classes  were  rising,  proud  of  their 
knowledge,  their  talents,  their  attainments,  the  higher  ranks 
seemed  to  meet  them  half-way,  through  sentiments  of  curiosity 
and  benevolence  :  the  court  was  still  a  slave  to  the  laws  of 
etiquette,  whilst  the  distinctions  of  rank  were  banished  from 
social  life.  Hence,  in  my  opinion,  an  accusation  which  incon- 
siderate vanity  has  often  repeated  against  Marie  Antoinette,  falls 
to  the  ground  of  itself.  When  she  appeared  at  Versailles,  she 
found  every  one  inclined  to  a  change  which  the  state  of  manners 
rendered  inevitable ;  and  her  beauty,  wit,  grace,  and  majestic 
carriage,  gave  her  so  many  real  advantages,  as  entitled  her  to 
despise  the  childish  importance  of  etiquette. 

After  all,  what  is  etiquette  ?  Nothing  but  a  symbol  of  the 
involuntary  respect  which  mankind  pay  to  courage,  genius, 
glory,  and  virtue.  True  politeness  disdains  ceremony ;  and  true 
greatness  may  dispense  with  it.  The  noble  familiarity  of  Henry 
IV.  was  applauded ;  he  had,  however,  performed  great  actions 
enough,  to  allow  of  affability  and  plainness  in  his  manners.  The 
memory  of  his  achievements  dignified  him  still  more  than  his 
rank ;  in  seeing  the  King,  men  recollected  the  knight ;  by  his 
side  still  hung  the  sword  he  had  worn  at  Courtras ;  and  the 
French  unanimously  acknowledged  the  generous  hand  that  had 
fed  Paris  during  its  rebellion.  The  illusions  of  etiquette  were 
necessary  to  Louis  XV. ;  Louis  XIV.  might  have  dispensed  with 
them ;  his  throne,  resplendent  with  the  triumph  of  arms,  litera- 
ture, and  the  fine  arts,  was  glorious  enough  without  them.  But 


xxiv  BIOGRAPHICAL   NOTICE 

he  was  ambitious  to  be  more  than  a  great  King  :  and  this  demi- 
god, reduced  by  misfortunes  and  infirmities,  to  his  original  place 
in  the  first  ranks  of  human  life,  endeavoured  to  conceal  the 
ravages  of  disease,  calamity,  and  age,  under  the  vain  pomp  of 
ceremony.  Princes  may  be  excused  for  being  the  regulators  of 
etiquette,  since  they  are  its  principal  slaves. 

From  the  cradle  to  the  tomb,  in  sickness  and  in  health,  at 
table,  at  council,  in  the  chase,  in  the  army,  in  the  midst  of  their 
court,  in  their  private  apartments,  princes,  in  France,  were 
governed  by  ceremonial  rules.  The  injudicious  laws  of  etiquette 
pursued  them,  even  to  the  mysteries  of  the  nuptial  bed.  Judge 
how  impatiently  a  young  princess,  lively,  affectionate,  and  free, 
bred  in  the  simplicity  of  the  German  courts,  must  have  endured 
the  tyrannical  customs  which  never  suffered  her  for  a  single 
instant,  to  be  a  wife,  mother,  or  friend,  but  reduced  her  to  the 
dignified  ennui  of  being  always  a  Queen.  The  respectable  lar'y, 
who  was  placed  near  her  as  a  vigilant  minister  of  the  laws  of 
etiquette,  instead  of  alleviating  their  weight,  rendered  their 
yoke  intolerable  to  her.  The  evil  was  not,  however,  so  serious, 
when  it  only  affected  the  attendants ;  because  in  these  cases,  the 
Queen  used  merely  to  laugh  at  it.  Let  Madame  Campan 
herself  relate  an  anecdote  on  this  subject,  in  which  she  was 
concerned. 

"  Madame  de  Noailles,"  she  says  in  a  manuscript  fragment, 
"  abounded  in  virtues ;  I  cannot  pretend'to  deny  it.  Her  piety, 
charity,  and  irreproachable  morals,  rendered  her  worthy  of 
praise ;  but  etiquette  was  to  her  a  sort  of  atmosphere,  at  the 
slightest  derangement  of  the  consecrated  order,  one  would  have 
thought  she  would  have  been  stifled,  and  that  life  would  forsake 
her  frame. 

"  One  day,  I  unintentionally  threw  this  poor  lady  into  a  ter- 
rible agony ;  the  Queen  was  receiving,  I  know  not  whom — some 
persons  just  presented,  I  believe ;  the  lady  of  honour,  the 
Queen's  tire-woman,  and  the  ladies  of  the  bed-chamber,  were 
behind  the  Queen.  I  was  near  the  throne,  with  the  two  women 
on  duty.  All  was  right ;  at  least  I  thought  so.  Suddenly,  I 


OF   MADAME   CAMP  AN.  xxv 

perceived  the  eyes  of  Madame  de  Noailles  fixed  on  mine.  She 
made  a  sign  with  her  head,  and  then  raised  her  eyebrows  to  the 
top  of  her  forehead,  lowered  them,  raised  them  again ;  then 
began  to  make  little  signs  with  her  hand.  From  all  this  panto- 
mime, I  could  easily  perceive  that  something  was  not  as  it  should 
be ;  and  as  I  looked  about  on  all  sides  to  find  out  what  it  was, 
the  agitation  of  the  countess  kept  increasing.  The  Queen,  who 
perceived  all  this,  looked  at  me  with  a  smile ;  I  found  means  to 
approach  her  majesty,  who  said  to  me  in  a  whisper,  Let  down 
your  lappets,  or  the  countess  will  expire.  All  this  bustle  arose 
from  two  unlucky  pins,  which  fastened  up  my  lappets,  whilst 
the  etiquette  of  costume  said,  '  Lappets  hanging  down.'  " 

Nevertheless,  this  contempt  of  the  solemn  vanities  of  etiquette, 
became  the  pretext  for  the  first  reproaches  levelled  at  the  Queen. 
In  fact,  what  misconduct  might  not  be  dreaded  from  a  princess 
who  could  absolutely  go  out  without  a  hoop !  and  who,  in  the 
saloons  of  Trianon,  instead  of  discussing  the  important  rights  to 
chairs  and  stools,  good-naturedly  invited  everybody  to  be 
seated.*  The  Anti- Austrian  party,  ever  discontented  and  vin- 

*  Even  for  the  suppression  of  the  most  ridiculous  customs,  the  Queen 
was  never  forgiven.  The  respectable  dowagers,  who  had  passed  their 
innocent  youth  in  the  court  of  Louis  XV.,  and  even  under  the  regency, 
considered  the  abolition  of  the  hoop  as  a  violation  of  morals.  Ma- 
dame Campan  herself,  says,  in  some  part  of  her  Memoirs,  almost  with 
regret,  that  the  great  ruffs  and  fardingales  worn  in  the  court  of  the 
last  of  the  Valois,  were  not  adopted  without  a  motive :  that  those 
appendages,  indifferent  in  appearance,  actually  had  the  effect  of 
banishing  every  idea  of  gallantry. 

Although  such  a  precaution  may  appear,  at  least,  a  little  singular, 
in  the  dissolute  court  of  Henry  III.,  I  shall  not  pretend  to  deny  the 
efficacy  of  the  fardingale !  I  will  only  add  a  little  anecdote  quoted  by 
Laplace. 

"M.  de  Fresne  Forget,  being  one  day  in  company  with  Queen 
Marguerite,  told  her  he  was  astonished  how  men  and  women  with  such 
great  ruffs,  could  eat  soup  without  spoiling  them  ;  and  still  more,  how 
the  ladies  could  be  gallant,  with  their  great  fardingales.  The  Queen 
made  no  answer  at  that  time,  but,  a  few  days  after,  having  a  very  large 
ruff  on,  and  some  louilli  to  eat,  she  ordered  a  very  long  spoon  to  be 


BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICE 

dictive,  became  spies  upon  her  conduct,  exaggerated  her  slight- 
est errors,  and  calumniated  her  most  innocent  proceedings. 
11  What  seems  unaccountable  at  the  first  glance,"  says  Montjoie, 
whose  opinions  must  certainly  be  considered  genuine ;  "  and 
what  overwhelms  me  with  grief,  is,  that  the  first  attacks  on  the 
reputation  of  the  Queen,  proceeded  from  the  bosom  of  the  court. 
What  interest  could  the  courtiers  have  in  seeking  her  destruc- 
tion, which  involved  that  of  the  King  ?  Was  it  not  drying 
up  the  source  of  all  the  advantages  they  enjoyed,  or  could 
hope  for?" 

But  these  advantages  and  favours  were  no  longer  the  exclu- 
sive inheritance  of  a  few  powerful  families.  In  distributing 
benefits,  the  Queen  sometimes  thought  proper  to  consult  her 
affections,  and  other  rights  besides  those  of  an  ancient  origin. 
"Judge,"  says  Montjoie,  "of  the  spite  and  fury  of  the  great  of 
that  class,  when  they  saw  the  Queen  dispense  to  others  those 
favours  which  they  wished  to  be  considered  as  due  to  them 
alone ;  it  will  then  be  easy  to  understand  how  she  came  to  have 
implacable  enemies  amongst  those  who  were  nearest  her  per- 
son." It  was  not  long  before  hatred  and  calumny  found  an- 
other pretext. 

That  obscure  and  scandalous  plot,  which  was  to  compromise 
the  most  august  name,  and  to  dishonour  that  of  a  cardinal,  was 
already  in  preparation.  It  was  conceived  by  an  intriguing 
female ;  its  principal  agent  was  a  forger  of  writings ;  it  was 
seconded  by  a  courtesan,  unravelled  by  a  minim,  and  related  by 
a  Jesuit.  As  if  the  most  singular  coincidences  were  to  appear 
in  this  famous  suit,  together  with  the  most  odious  contrasts,  the 
name  of  Valois,  which  had  so  long  ago  relapsed  into  oblivion, 
now  figured  along  with  those  of  Rohan,  Austria,  and  Bourbon  ; 
and,  when  everything  conspired  to  accuse  a  libertine  and  credu- 

bvought,  and  ate  her  bouilli  with  it,  without  soiling  her  ruff.  Upon 
which,  addressing  herself  to  M.  de  Fresne,  she  said,  laughing,  '  There 
now,  you  see,  with  a  little  ingenuity,  one  may  manage  anything.' 
'  Yes,  faith,  Madame,'  said  he,  with  simplicity,  '  as  far  as  regards  the 
soup,  I  am  satisfied.'  "  ( Vol.  II.,  page  350,  of  Laplace's  Collection.) 


OP  MADAME  CAMPAN.  xxvii 

lous  priest,  a  great  lord,  who  with  800,000  livres  per  annum, 
was  nevertheless  ruined,  an  ecclesiastical  prince,  at  once  the 
dupe  of  a  swindler,  a  woman  of  intrigue,  and  a  quack ;  yet  it 
was  the  Queen  whom  his  credulity,  as  well,  perhaps,  as  his 
guilty  hopes,  injured ;  it  was  Marie  Antoinette  to  whom  suspi- 
cion was  daringly  attached.  The  court,  the  clergy,  and  the  par- 
liaments leagued  together  to  humble  the  throne,  and  the  princess 
who  sat  on  it.  Instead  of  pitying,  they  blamed  her :  they  did 
not  even  pardon  her  indulgence  of  the  grief  and  indignation  of 
an  injured  woman,  wife,  and  Queen. 

The  issue  of  this  famous  suit  is  known.  The  cardinal  was 
acquitted.  Madame  de  Lamotte  being  condemned  and  exposed, 
fled,  and  hastened  to  publish  a  pamphlet  of  the  most  odious  de- 
scription against  the  Queen.  From  that  moment,  fatal  for 
Marie  Antoinette,  until  her  death,  attacks  of  this  species  were 
incessantly  renewed  against  her.  The  spirit  of  party  quickly 
undertook  the  direction  of  them :  the  press  and  the  graver  be- 
came equally  subservient  to  the  fury  of  her  enemies.  Obscene 
prints,  licentious  verses,  infamous  libels,  atrocious  accusations — 
/  have  seen  all,  I  have  read  all,  and  I  wish  I  could  add  (like 
that  unfortunate  princess,  on  one  of  the  most  honourable  occa- 
sions of  her  life),  /  have  forgotten  all.  The  perusal  and  view 
of  these  monuments  of  implacable  hatred,  leave  an  impression 
of  sadness  and  disgust  difficult  to  overcome,  and  increased  by 
the  idea  of  the  woes  accumulated  by  calumny  on  the  head  of 
the  hapless  Marie  Antoinette. 

Let  us  not  anticipate  events :  It  is  not  here  that  the  picture 
of  the  Queen's  last  misfortunes  is  to  be  found.  Her  imprison- 
ment, her  chains,  her  destitute  condition,  the  outrages  which 
overwhelmed,  the  strength  of  mind  which  supported  her,  the 
maternal  affection  which  still  attached  her  to  life,  the  religious 
sentiments  from  which  she  derived  consolation ;  all  these  affect- 
ing and  sublime  particulars  of  a  scene,  concluded  by  so  tragical 
a  catastrophe,  belong  to  other  memoirs ;  but  there  is  one  reflec- 
tion which  that  fatal  catastrophe  irresistibly  excites. 

When  the  terrible  Danton  exclaimed,  "  The  kings  of  Europe 

VOL.  i. — 4 


menace  us ;  it  behaves  us  to  defy  them ;  let  us  throw  down  to 
them,  as  our  gage,  the  head  of  a  King  !"  These  detestable 
words,  followed  by  so  cruel,  so  lamentable  an  effect,  belonged, 
however,  to  a  formidable  piece  of  policy.  But  the  Queen ! 
What  horrible  reasons  of  state,  could  Danton,  Collot  d'Herbois, 
and  Robespierre  allege  against  her  ?  Where  did  they  find  that 
those  Greeks  and  Romans,  whose  military  virtues  our  soldiers 
recalled,  used  to  murder  weak  and  defenceless  beings  ?  What 
savage  greatness  did  they  discover,  in  stirring  up  a  whole  nation 
to  avenge  their  quarrel  on  a  woman  ?  What  remained  of  her 
former  power  ?  Had  not  the  10th  of  August  torn  the  diadem 
from  her  brow  ?  She  was  a  captive,  a  widow,  trembling  for  her 
children  !  In  those  judges,  who  at  once  outraged  modesty  and 
nature;  in  that  people,  whose  vilest  scoifs  pursued  her  to  the 
scaffold,  who  could  have  recognised  the  affable,  affectionate,  sen- 
sitive, generous  people  of  France  ?  No,  of  all  the  crimes  which 
so  shockingly  disgraced  the  revolution,  none  is  more  calculated 
to  show  to  what  a  pitch  the  spirit  of  party,  when  it  has  fer- 
mented in  the  most  corrupt  hearts,  can  deprave  the  character  of 
a  nation. 

The  news  of  this  dreadful  event  reached  Madame  Campan, 
who  was  weeping  over  the  misfortunes  of  her  benefactress,  in 
her  obscure  retreat.  She  had  not  succeeded  in  her  endeavours 
to  share  the  Queen's  captivity ;  and  she  expected,  every  moment, 
a  similar  fate.  After  escaping,  almost  miraculously,  from  the 
murdering  fury  of  the  Marseillois ;  after  being  repulsed  by  Pe- 
tion,  when  she  implored  the  favour  of  being  confined  in  the 
Temple,  denounced  and  pursued  by  Robespierre,  and  intrusted, 
through  the  entire  confidence  of  the  King  and  Queen,  with  pa- 
pers of  the  utmost  importance,  Madame  Campan  went  to  conceal 
her  charge  and  indulge  her  grief  at  Coubertin  in  the  valley  of 
Chevreuse.  Madame  Auguie,  her  sister,  had  just  committed 
suicide,  at  the  very  moment  of  her  arrest.*  The  scaffold  awaited 

*  Maternal  affection  prevailed  over  her  religious  sentiments ;  she 
•wished  to  preserve  the  wreck  of  her  fortune  for  her  children.  Had 
she  deferred  this  fatal  act  for  one  day,  she  would  have  been  saved ;  the 


OF  MADAME  CAMPAN.  xxix 

Madame  Campan,  when  the  9th  of  Thermidor  restored  her  to 
life ;  but  did  not  restore  to  her  the  most  constant  object  of  her 
thoughts,  her  zeal  and  her  devotion. 

A  new  career  now  opened  to  Madame  Campan.  The  infor- 
mation and  talents  she  possessed,  were  about  to  become  useful 
to  her.  At  Coubertin,  surrounded  by  her  nieces,  she  was  fond 
of  directing  their  studies,  as  much  to  divert  her  mind  for  a  time 
from  her  troubles,  as  to  form  their  disposition  and  judgment. 
This  maternal  occupation  had  caused  her  ideas  to  revert  to  the 
subject  of  education,  and  awakened  once  more  the  earliest  incli- 
nations of  her  youth. 

Our  taste  and  character  develope  themselves  early  in  child- 
hood. I  remember,  that  in  writing  an  account  of  the  life  of 
Madame  Roland,  it  appeared  to  me  a  most  interesting  spectacle, 
to  contemplate  the  first  emotions  of  her  intrepid  soul,  warmed, 
even  at  the  most  tender  age,  with  enthusiasm  for  the  virtues  of 
antiquity.  It  was  not  without  surprise  that  I  considered  a  young 
girl,  at  a  period  of  life  when  pleasure  and  dress  are  usually  the 
chief  occupations  of  her  sex,  fancying  herself  in  solitude,  Clelia 
stemming  the  waves  of  Tiber ;  or  Cornelia  exhibiting  her 
Gracchi,  as  her  ornaments,  to  the  Roman  ladies. 

Rising  inclinations  are  suddenly  developed  and  revealed  by 
circumstances.  Many  a  general  owes  his  epaulettes  to  the  sight 
of  a  review  :  and,  in  our  times,  the  ceremony  and  pomp  of  pro- 
cessions will,  no  doubt,  make  many  a  bishop.  At  the  age  of 
twelve  years,  Mademoiselle  Genet  could  never  meet  a  school -of 
young  ladies,  walking  out  for  an  airing,  or  passing  through  the 
streets,  without  feeling  ambitious  of  the  situation,  title,  and 
authority  of  their  mistress.  Her  abode  at  court  had  diverted, 
but  not  altered,  her  ideas  and  inclinations.  At  a  more  advanced 
age,  when  able  to  enlarge  the  circle  of  her  schemes,  she  envied 
Madame  de  Maintenon,  in  the  height  of  absolute  power,  not  the 
success  of  her  ambitious  hypocrisy,  not  the  mysterious  honour 

cart  which  conveyed  Robespierre  to  execution,  stopped  her  funeral 
procession ! 


of  a  royal  and  clandestine  union,  but  the  glory  of  having 
founded  St.  Cyr. 

It  will  presently  be  seen,  that  Madame  Campan  had  neither 
the  treasures  nor  the  authority  of  Louis  XIV.  at  her  disposal, 
for  the  realization  of  her  plans.  "  A  month  after  the  fall  of 
Robespierre,"  she  says,  in  a  most  interesting  document,  "  I  con- 
sidered  of  the  means  of  providing  for  myself,  for  a  mother 
seventy  years  of  age,  my  sick  husband,  my  child  nine  years 
old,  and  part  of  my  ruined  family.  I  now  possessed  nothing  in 
the  world  but  an  assignat  of  five  hundred  francs.  I  had  become 
responsible  for  my  husband's  debts,  to  the  amount  of  thirty 
thousand  francs.  I  chose  St.  Germain  to  set  up  a  boarding-school ; 
that  town  did  not  remind  me,  as  Versailles  did,  both  of  the 
happy  times,  and  the  first  misfortunes  of  France,  while  it  was 
at  some  distance  from  Paris,  where  our  dreadful  disasters  had 
occurred,  and  where  people  resided,  with  whom  I  did  not  wish 
to  be  acquainted.  I  took  with  me  a  nun  of  V Enfant- Jesus,  to 
give  an  unquestionable  pledge  of  my  religious  principle?.*  I 
had  not  the  means  of  printing  my  prospectus.  I  wrote  a  hun- 
dred copies  of  it,  and  sent  them  to  those  persons  of  my  acquaint- 
ance who  had  survived  our  dreadful  commotions. 

"At  the  year's  end  I  had  sixty  pupils;  soon  afterwards  a  hun- 
dred. I  bought  furniture,  and  paid  my  debts.  I  rejoiced  in 
having  met  with  this  resource  so  remote  from  all  intrigue." 

The  brilliant  and  rapid  success  of  the  establishment  at  St. 
Germain,  was  undoubtedly  owing  to  the  talents,  ^xperience,  and 
excellent  principles  of  Madame  Campan.  Nevertheless,  it  must 
be  allowed,  that  she  was  wonderfully  seconded  by  public  opi- 
nion. To  court,  cherish,  and  show  attention  to  any  person  who 
had  been  at  court,  was  to  defy  and  humble  the  reigning  power ; 
and  every  one  knows  that  people  never  denied  themselves  that 
pleasure  in  France.  I  was  then  very  young,  but  I  did  not  fail 
to  observe  that  disposition  in  those  about  me.  All  property 

*  The  school  of  St.  Germain  was  the  first  in  which  the  opening  of 
an  oratory  was  ventured  on.  The  Directory  was  displeased  at  it,  and 
ordered  it  to  be  immediately  shut  up. 


OF  MADAME  CAMPAN.  xxxi 

had  changed  hands;  all  ranks  found  themselves  confusedly  jum- 
bled by  the  shocks  of  the  revolution :  society  resembled  a 
library,  in  which  the  books  have  been  replaced  at  random,  after 
tearing  off  the  titles.  The  great  lord  dined  at  the  table  of  the 
opulent  contractor ;  and  the  marchioness,  all  brilliancy,  wit,  and 
elegance,  sat  at  the  ball  by  the  side  of  the  clumsy  peasant  grown 
rich.  In  the  absence  of  the  ancient  distinctions  and  denomina- 
tions, which  had  been  described  by  the  Directory,  elegant  man- 
ners and  polished  language  now  formed  an  extraordinary  kind 
of  aristocracy.  The  house  of  St.  Germain,  conducted  by  a  lady, 
who  possessed  the  style,  deportment,  habits,  and  conversation 
of  the  best  society,  was  not  only  a  school  of  knowledge,  but  a 
school  of  the  world. 

"  A  literary  man,  a  friend  of  Madame  de  Beauharnais,"  con- 
tinued Madame  Campan,  in  the  manuscript  now  before  me, 
"  mentioned  my  establishment  to  her.  She  brought  me  her 
daughter,  Hortense  de  Beauharnais,  and  her  niece  Emilie  de  Beau- 
harnais. Six  months  afterwards  she  eame  to  inform  me  of  her 
marriage  with  a  Corsican  gentleman,  who  had  been  brought  up 
in  the  military  school,  and  was  then  a  general.  I  was  requested 
to  communicate  this  intelligence  to  her  daughter,  who  long 
lamented  her  mother's  change  of  name. 

"  I  was  also  desired  to  watch  over  the  education  of  little  Eu- 
gene de  Beauharnais,  who  was  placed  at  St.  Germain,  in  the  same 
school  with  my  son. 

"  My  nieces,  Mesdemoiselles  Auguie,  were  with  me,  and  slept 
in  the  same  room  as  the  Mesdemoiselles  Beauharnais.  A  great 
intimacy  took  place  between  these  young  people.  Madame  de 
Beauharnais  set  out  for  Italy,  and  left  her  children  with  me. 
On  her  return,  after  the  conquests  of  Bonaparte,  that  general 
was  much  pleased  with  the  improvement  of  his  step-daughter ; 
he  invited  me  to  dine  at  Malmaison,  and  attended  two  repre- 
sentations of  Esther,  at  my  school." 

One  of  these  representations  is  connected  with  an  anecdote, 
which  is  almost  historical.  The  Duchess  of  St.  Leu  played 
Esther,  the  part  of  Elise  was  supported  by  the  interesting  and 

4* 


xuii  BIOGRAPHICAL   NOTICE 

unfortunate  Madame  de  Broc.  They  were  united  by  the  same 
uniformity  of  age  and  inclinations,  the  same  mutual  friendship, 
as  are  attributed  to  the  characters  in  Racine's  drama.  Napo- 
leon, who  was  then  consul,  his  generals,  ministers,  and  other 
principal  persons  in  the  state,  attended  the  representation.  The 
Prince  of  Orange  was  also  observed  there,  whom  the  hope  of 
seeing  Holland  once  more,  and  of  re-establishing  the  rights  of 
his  house,  had  at  this  period  brought  to  France.  The  tragedy 
of  Esther  was  performed  by  the  pupils,  with  the  chorusses  in 
music.  Every  one  knows,  that  in  the  chorus  at  the  end  of  the 
third  act,  the  young  Israelites  rejoice  in  the  hope  of  one  day  re- 
turning to  their  native  land  : 
A  young  female  says  : — 

"  I  shall  see  once  more  those  dear  fields."* 
Another  adds : — 

"  I  shall  weep  over  the  sepulchre  of  my  forefathers."! 

At  these  words,  loud  sobs  were  heard ;  every  eye  was  turned 
towards  a  particular  part  of  the  room ;  the  representation  was 
interrupted  for  a  moment.  Napoleon,  who  sat  in  the  first  row, 
leaned  towards  Madame  Campan,  who  was  behind  him,  and 
asked  her  the  cause  of  this  agitation.  "The  Prince  of  Orange 
is  here,"  said  she :  "  he  perceived  something  in  the  verses 
which  have  just  been  sung,  applicable  to  his  wishes  and  situa- 
tion, and  could  not  restrain  his  tears."  The  consul  had  already 
different  views:  "What  is  said  about  returning  home,  does  not 
apply  to  him,  however;"  said  he. 

Previously  to  commencing  this  notice  on  the  life  of  Madame 
Campan,  I  went  over  that  house  at  St.  Germain  which  once 
attracted  such  a  splendid  concourse. 

I  saw  that  garden,  those  long  covered  walks,  which  served  for 
promenades;  those  rooms  in  which  Plantade  gave  instructions 
in  singing,  and  where  Mademoiselle  Godefroy,  the  best  pupil  of 

*  Je  reverrai  ces  campagnes  si  cheres. 
•j-  J'irai  pleurer  au  tombeau  de  mes  peres. 


OF   MADAME   CAMPAN.  xxxiii 

a  great  master,  taught  painting.  I  saw  that  little  closet  which 
many  a  giddy  girl  has  entered  in  apprehension  of  a  severe  repri- 
mand, and  from  which  she  was  sure  to  come  out  impressed  and 
affected  by  good  and  kind  admonitions.  The  appearance  of 
those  places  is  still  the  same,  but  how  different  is  their  present 
use !  To  that  lyceum  which  letters,  science,  and  accomplish- 
ments formerly  embellished,  the  rigours  and  austerity  of  a  cloister 
have  succeeded.  Those  scenes,  in  which  the  sounds  of  innocent 
mirth,  or  the  lessons  of  pleasing  arts  were  alternately  heard,  are 
become  the  asylum  of  fasting,  prayer,  and  silence.  The  hall 
of  exercises,  which  served  for  a  theatre,  has  been  converted  into 
a  chapel ;  the  catechism  is  taught  under  the  roof  which  echoed 
the  harmonious  verses  of  Racine;  and  a  few  verses  of  the 
Psalms,  or  passages  from  the  Fathers,  will  soon  be  substituted 
for  that  inscription,  which  is  still  half  legible  on  the  whitened 
walls  :  "  Talents  are  the  ornament  of  the  rich,  and  the  wealth 
of  the  poor." 

In  1802  and  1803,  the  period  destined  to  produce  this  change 
was  still  far  distant.  Never  had  the^  establishment  at  St.  Ger- 
main been  in  a  more  flourishing  condition.  What  more  could 
Madame  Campan  wish  for  ?  her  fortune  was  very  respectable : 
her  occupation  and  duties  were  agreeable  to  her  taste.  She  saw 
around  her  nothing  but  attachment  and  gratitude ;  abroad  she 
met  with  nothing  but  esteem,  kindness,  and  respect.  Absolute 
in  her  own  house;  she  seemed  equally  safe  from  the  favours  and 
caprices  of  power.  But  the  man  who  then  disposed  of  the  fate 
of  France  at  his  pleasure,  and  regulated  that  of  Europe  with  the 
sword,  was  soon  to  determine  otherwise. 

By  a  decree,  dated,  as  it  were,  from  the  field  of  battle,  new 
rewards  and  encouragements  were  secured  and  proposed  to  the 
brave  victors  of  Austcrlitz.  The  state  undertook  to  bring  up, 
at  the  public  expense,  the  sisters,  daughters,  or  nieces  of  those 
who  were  decorated  with  the  cross  of  honour.  The  children  of 
the  warriors  killed  or  wounded  in  glorious  battle,  were  to  find 
paternal  care  in  the  ancient  abodes  of  the  Montmorencys  and 
the  Conde's ,  nor  could  those  heroes  themselves  have  devoted  them 


xxxiv  BIOGRAPHICAL   NOTICE 

to  a  nobler  purpose.  Accustomed  to  concentrate  around  him 
all  superior  talents,  fearless  himself  of  superiority,  Napoleon 
sought  for  a  person  qualified  by  experience,  name,  and  abilities, 
to  conduct  the  institution  of  Ecouen ;  he  selected  Madame 
Campan. 

She  was  now  to  reap  the  fruits  of  ten  years'  experience  at  St. 
Germain.  The  establishment  of  Ecouen  was  wholly  to  create  ; 
Madame  Campan,  therefore,  commenced  this  great  undertaking. 
Count  Lacepede,  the  pupil,  friend,  and  rival  of  Buffon,  the 
grand  chancellor  of  the  legion  of  honour,  assisted  her  with  his 
enlightened  advice.  The  watchful  attention  which  the  health, 
instruction,  and  even  the  recreations  of  three  hundred  young 
persons  required ;  the  religious  duties  which  formed  the  basis 
of  their  education ;  the  distribution  of  their  time ;  the  metho- 
dical and  graduated  exercise  of  the  powers  of  their  understand- 
ing ;  the  harmony  of  their  principles  and  attainments  with 
their  fortune,  and  the  rank  in  society  they  were  destined  to 
occupy ;  the  difficult  art  of  seizing  the  principal  features  of  a 
character,  discriminating  .good  from  bad  qualities,  destroying 
the  germ  of  the  one,  and  encouraging  the  others  ;  and  of  main- 
taining order  and  promoting  emulation  amongst  so  many  pupils 
of  different  ages,  inclinations,  and  tempers,  without  exciting 
pride  :  all  these  cares  of  a  complicated  administration,  all  these 
details  of  so  delicate  an  employment,  appeared  simple,  easy,  and 
natural  when  Madame  Campan  was  seen  to  fulfil  them.  This 
praise  even  her  enemies  could  not  deny  her.  At  all  hours  she 
was  accessible  to  every  one;  hearing  all  questions  submitted  to 
her  with  the  greatest  equality  of  temper,  and  deciding  them  with 
extraordinary  presence  of  mind,  never  addressing  admonition, 
reproach,  or  encouragement,  but  opportunely.  Napoleon,  who 
could  descend  with  ease  from  the  highest  political  subjects  to 
the  examination  of  the  most  minute  details ;  who  was  at  much 
at  home  in  inspecting  a  boarding-school  for  young  ladies,  as  in 
reviewing  the  grenadiers  of  his  guard ;  to  whom  every  species  of 
knowledge,  every  occupation,  seemed  familiar;  whom  it  was 
impossible  to  deceive,  and  who  was  not  unwilling  to  find  fault, — 


OF  MADAME  CAMPAN.  xxxv 

Napoleon,  when  he  visited  the  establishment  at  Ecouen,  was 
forced  to  say,  "  It  is  all  right."* 

A  second  house  was  formed  at  St.  Denis,  on  the  model  of  that 
of  Ecouen.  Perhaps  Madame  Campan  might  have  hoped  for  a 
title,  to  which  her  long  labours  gave  her  a  right ;  perhaps  the 
superintendence  of  the  two  houses  would  have  been  but  the 
fair  recompense  of  her  services ;  but  her  fortunate  years  had 
elapsed  :  her  fate  was  now  to  depend  on  the  most  important  events. 
Napoleon  had  accumulated  such  a  mass  of  power,  as  no  one  but 
himself  in  Europe  could  overturn.  The  conqueror  seemed  to 
take  inward  pleasure  in  destroying  the  work  of  the  statesman. 
France,  content  with  thirty  years  of  victories,  in  vain  asked  for 
peace  and  repose.  The  army  which  had  triumphed  in  the  sands 
of  Egypt,  on  the  summits  of  the  Alps,  and  in  the  marshes  of 
Holland,  was  to  perish  although  victorious,  amidst  the  snows  of 
Russia.  Kings  and  nations  combined  against  a  single  man.  The 
territory  of  France  was  invaded.  The  orphans  of  Ecouen,  from 
the  windows  of  the  mansion  which  served  as  their  asylum,  saw, 
in  the  distant  plain,  the  fires  of  the  Russian  bivouacs,  and  once 
more  wept  the  deaths  of  their  fathers.  Paris  capitulated.  France 
hailed  the  return  of  the  descendants  of  Henry  IV. :  they  re- 
ascended  the  throne  so  long  filled  by  their  ancestors,  which  the 
wisdom  of  an  enlightened  prince  established  on  the  empire  of 
the  laws. 

This  moment,  which  diffused  joy  amongst  the  faithful  ser- 
vants of  the  royal  family,  and  brought  them  the  rewards  of 
their  devotion,  proved  to  Madame  Campan  a  period  of  bitter 
vexation.  The  hatred  of  her  enemies  had  revived.  The  sup- 
pression of  the  house  of  Ecouen  had  deprived  her  of  her  place ; 
the  most  absurd  calumnies  followed  her  into  her  retreat :  her 

*  Napoleon  had  wished  to  be  informed  of  every  particular  of  the 
furniture,  government,  and  order  of  the  house,  the  instruction  and 
education  of  the  pupils.  The  internal  regulations  were  submitted  to 
him.  One  of  the  intended  rules,  drawn  up  by  Madame  Campan,  pro- 
posed that  the  children  should  hear  mass  on  Sundays  and  Thursdays. 
Napoleon  himself  wrote  in  the  margin,  every  day. 


xxxvi  BIOGRAPHICAL   NOTICE 

attachment  to  the  Queen  was  suspected ;  she  was  accused,  not 
only  of  ingratitude,  but  of  perfidy :  "  And  the  object  of  these 
slanders/'  said  a  noble  writer,  who  seemed  to  transfer  into  the 
sentiments  of  friendship,  the  warmth  which  animated  his  filial 
piety — "  the  object  of  these  calumnies,  is  that  most  faithful  sub- 
ject, who,  during  twenty-four  years,  never  ceased  to  be  attached 
to  the  royal  family  of  France  :  the  reader  and  first  attendant  of 
the  unfortunate  Queen  j  the  no  less  intimate  confidante  of  the 
hapless  King,  who,  during  their  protracted  martyrdom,  risked 
more  than  her  life  for  her  august  lord  and  lady;  who  never 
said  or  did  anything  but  their  orders,  but  said  and  did  all  that 
she  was  enjoined,  however  dangerous  the  task.  The  object  of 
these  calumnies  is  Madame  Campan,  in  whose  favour  Marie  An- 
toinette wrote,  in  1792,  a  testamentary  disposition,  extremely 
honourable  to  the  devotion  of  the  subject,  and  to  the  goodness 
of  the  sovereign.  It  is  Madame  Campan,  to  whom  Louis  XVI. 
in  1792,  confided  the  most  secret  and  dangerous  papers;  for 
whom  Louis  XVI.  in  the  cell  of  the  Feuillans,  on  the  10th  of 
August,  1792,  cut  off  two  locks  of  his  hair,  giving  her  one  for 
herself,  another  for  her  sister,  whilst  the  Queen,  throwing  her 
arms  about  their  necks  by  turns,  said  to  them :  "  Unhappy 
women,  you  are  unfortunate  only  on  my  account :  I  am  still 
more  wretched  than  you."*  Slander  has  little  effect  on  youth ; 
the  long  futurity  to  which  the  young  look  forward,  makes  them 
hope  to  triumph  over  it :  but,  in  the  decline  of  life,  its  darts  are 
envenomed  with  a  mortal  poison  :  the  griefs  which  then  oppress 
the  heart  tear  open  all  its  old  wounds.  Those  which  Madame 

*  Extract  of  a  manuscript  Memoir,  relating  to  Madame  Campan. 

Were  it  necessary  to  adduce  another  most  respectable  testimonial, 
•we  might  rely  on  the  following  letter,  written  to  Madame  Campan,  on 
the  27th  of  April,  1816,  by  the  Duchess  de  Tourzel. 

"  I  am  perfectly  sensible,  madame,  of  the  pain  you  must  suffer  from 
everything  which  can  possibly  tend  to  throw  any  doubt  on  your  attach- 
ment and  fidelity  to  the  august  princess,  whom  you  had  the  honour  to 
serve,  in  the  duties  you  performed  about  her  person. 

I  have  great  pleasure,  madame,  in  doing  you  the  justice  of  declar- 
ing that,  during  the  three  years  in  which  my  place  afforded  me  fre- 


OF   MADAME   CAMPAN.  xxxvii 

Campan  had  received  were  deep.  Her  sister,  Madame  Auguie, 
had  destroyed  herself;  M.  Rousseau,  her  brother-in-law,  had 
perished  a  victim  in  the  reign  of  terror.  In  1813,  a  dreadful 
accident  had  deprived  her  of  her  niece,  Madame  de  Broc,  one  of 
the  most  amiable  and  interesting  beings  that  ever  adorned  the 
earth.  Madame  Campan  seemed  destined  to  behold  those  whom 
she  loved  go  down  to  the  grave  before  her.  In  the  cemetery  of 
Pere  la  Chaise,  amongst  those  ostentatious  mausoleums,  gene- 
rally loaded  with  lying  epitaphs ;  by  the  side  of  those  monu- 
ments, most  of  which  seem  raised  to  flatter  the  pride  of  the 
living  rather  than  out  of  respect  for  the  ashes  of  those  who  sleep 
beneath  them ;  there  is  a  modest  grave,  on  which  she  has  often 
been  seen  to  weep.  No  marble  decorates  it ;  no  inscription  is 
read  upon  it ;  it  is  remarkable  chiefly  for  its  simplicity ;  the 
unostentatious  turf,  betraying  a  grief  which  shrinks  from  obser- 
vation, is  the  only  clue  to  the  secret  of  the  tomb. 

After  so  many  troubles,  Madame  Campan  sought  a  peaceful 
retreat.  Paris,  the  abode  of  apathy  and  ambition,  of  the  wicked 
who  promulgate  slanders,  and  the  fools  who  believe  them; 
Paris,  inhabited  by  crowds  of  men,  always  equally  ready  to 
flatter  the  powerful  of  the  day,  and  to  revile  him  whom  they 
flattered  the  day  before ;  Paris,  its  frivolity,  its  noisy  pleasures, 
its  egotism,  had  for  some  years  been  insupportable  to  her.  One 
of  her  most  beloved  pupils,  Mademoiselle  Crouzet,  had  married 

quent  access  to  our  great  and  too  hapless  Queen,  I  always  observed 
your  readiness  to  show  your  respect  and  attachment.  I  have  been 
witness  to  her  giving  you  proofs  of  a  peculiar  confidence,  and  to  your 
discretipn  and  fidelity  in  various  circumstances ;  which  qualities  you 
particularly  evinced  on  occasion  of  that  unfortunate  journey  to  Varen- 
nes  ;  the  reports  raised  on  this  subject  against  you,  were  the  most  un-I 
just  possible.  I  saw  you  at  the  Feuillans,  on  the  night  of  the  10th  of 
August,  offering  the  Queen  the  homage  of  your  grief,  although  it  was 
not  at  that  time  your  month  of  duty.  This  is  a  testimony  which  I  pay 
to  truth,  and  I  should  think  myself  happy,  if  my  letter  could  afford 
any  consolation  to  the  anguish  with  which  your  heart  is  oppressed. 
I  am,  madame,  &c. 

CROY  D'HAVRE,  DUCHESSE  DE  TOURZEL." 


xxxviii  BIOGRAPHICAL   NOTICE 

a  physician  at  Mantes,  a  man  of  talent,  distinguished  for 
information,  frankness,  and  cordiality.*  Madame  Campan  paid 
her  pupil  a  visit.  Mantes  is  a  pretty  little  town.  The  woods 
of  Rosny,  which  surround  it ;  the  Seine,  which  laves  it  with  its 
waters ;  isles  planted  with  lofty  poplars,  and  shady  walks,  which 
promise  an  agreeable  solitude,  render  Mantes  a  pleasant,  cheer- 
ful residence.  This  abode  pleased  her.  She  soon  fixed  her 
habitation  there.  A  few  intimate  friends  formed  a  pleasant 
society,  in  which  she  took  pleasure.  She  enjoyed,  with  surprise, 
a  little  tranquillity,  after  so  many  disturbances.  The  revisal  of 
her  Memoirs,  the  arrangement  of  the  interesting  anecdotes 
of  which  her  Recollections  were  to  consist,  were  the  only  affairs 
which  ever  diverted  her  mind  from  the  one  powerful  sentiment 
which  attached  her  to  life. 

She  lived  only  for  her  son ;  for  him  alone  she  would  have 
wished  for  favour  or  riches :  he  was  her  consolation,  her  wealth, 
her  hope ;  in  him  she  had  concentrated  all  the  inclinations  of  a 
heart  often  deceived  in  its  affections.  M.  Campan  deserved  the 
tenderness  of  his  mother.  No  sacrifice  had  been  spared  for  his 
education.  He  was  accomplished,  had  much  taste,  and  made 
agreeable  verses.  After  having  pursued  that  course  of  study, 
which,  under  the  imperial  government,  produced  men  of  distin- 
guished merit,  he  was  waiting  till  time  and  circumstances  should 
afford  him  an  opportunity  of  devoting  his  services  to  his  coun- 
try. Although  the  state  of  his  health  was  far  from  good,  it  did 
not  threaten  any  rapid  or  premature  decay :  he  was,  however, 
after  a  few  days'  illness,  suddenly  taken  from  his  family.  How 
was  the  mother  to  be  informed  of  this  loss  ?  Who  could  bear 

*  M.  Maignes,  physician  to  the  infirmaries  at  Mantes.  Madame 
Campan  found  in  him,  both  in  her  mental  and  bodily  affliction,  a  friend 
and  comforter,  of  whose  merit  and  affection  she  knew  the  value.  The 
attentions  which  he  constantly  paid  her  in  the  course  of  her  illness, 
induced  him  to  write  an  account  of  it,  which  evinces  his  great  know- 
ledge of  physiology,  and  in  which  he  has  faithfully  preserved  the  last 
conversation  of  Madame  Campan.  In  communicating  this  mauscript  to 
me,  he  favoured  me  with  many  interesting  particulars,  for  which  I  have 
now  the  pleasure  of  thanking  him. 


OF  MADAME  CAMPAN.  xxiix 

to  inflict  this  mortal  blow  ?  M.  Maignes,  in  an  account  with 
which  he  was  pleased  to  intrust  us,  describes  this  sad  moment 
with  mournful  accuracy.  "  I  never  witnessed  so  heart-rending 
a  scene/'  he  says,  "  as  that  which  took  place  when  Marshal 
Ney's  lady,  her  niece,  and  Madame  Pannelier,  her  sister,  came 
to  acquaint  her  with  this  misfortune.  When  they  entered  her 
apartment,  she  was  in  bed.  All  three  at  once  uttered  a  piercing 
cry.  The  two  ladies  threw  themselves  on  their  knees,  and 
kissed  her  hands,  which  they  bedewed  with  tears.  Before  they 
could  speak  to  her,  she  read  in  their  faces,  that  she  no  longer 
possessed  a  son.  At  that  instant  her  large  eyes,  opening  widely, 
seemed  to  wander.  Her  face  grew  pale,  her  features  changed, 
her  lips  lost  their  colour,  she  struggled  to  speak,  but  uttered 
only  inarticulate  sounds,  accompanied  by  piercing  cries.  Her 
gestures  were  wild — her  reason  was  suspended.  Every  part  of 
her  being  was  in  agony.  Her  respiration  scarcely  sufficed  for 
the  efforts  which  this  unhappy  mother  made  to  express  her 
grief,  and  give  vent  to  her  sufferings.  To  this  state  of  anguish 
and  despair  no  calm  succeeded,  until  her  tears  began  to  flow. 
Never  in  my  life  did  I  see  anything  so  sad  and  so  awful :  never 
will  the  impression  I  received  be  effaced  from  my  memory. 
Friendship,  and  the  tenderest  cares,  succeeded  for  a  moment  in 
calming  her  grief,  but  not  in  diminishing  its  power.  This 
violent  crisis  had  disturbed  her  whole  organization.  A  cruel 
disorder,  which  requires  a  still  more  cruel  operation,  soon  mani- 
fested itself.  The  presence  of  her  family,  a  tour  which  she 
made  in  Switzerland,  a  residence  at  the  waters  of  Baden,  and, 
above  all,  the  sight,  the  tender  and  charming  conversation  of  a 
person  by  whom  she  was  affectionately  beloved,  occasionally 
diverted  her  mind,  but  relieved  her  sufferings  only  in  a  very 
slight  degree.  She  returned  to  Mantes,  resolved  to  undergo 
the  operation ;  and,  from  that  moment,  far  from  betraying  a 
moment's  weakness  or  hesitation,  she  herself  hastened  the  mo- 
ment, which,  as  she  said,  was  to  restore  her  to  hope  and  health. 
With  the  strength  of  mind  which  defies  pain,  she  combined  the 
energy  of  will  which  masters  it.  Not  a  cry,  not  a  gesture 
VOL.  r. — 5 


xl  BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICE 

escaped  her.  So  much  courage  astonished  old  warriors  accus- 
tomed to  the  sight  of  fields  of  battle,  and  surprised  the  profes- 
sional men  themselves.*  Up  to  the  moment  of  commencing 
the  operation,  she  discoursed  freely  and  calmly  with  them. 
The  pain  which  followed  the  operation,  did  not  seem  to  have 
altered  her  serenity.  "  Gentlemen,"  said  she,  cheerfully,  to  her 
physicians,  "/  had  much  rather  hear  you  talk,  than  see 
you  act." 

The  operation  was  performed  with  extraordinary  promptitude, 
and  the  most  complete  success,  by  M.  Voisin,  a  most  skilful  sur- 
geon of  Versailles.  No  unfavourable  symptoms  appeared ;  the 
wound  cicatrized ;  Madame  Campan  was  thought  to  be  restored 
to  her  friends ;  but  the  disorder  was  in  the  blood ;  it  took  ano- 
ther course ;  the  chest  became  affected.  "  From  that  moment," 
says  M.  Maignes,  who  watched  her  malady  with  all  the  solici- 
tude of  friendship,  "  I  could  never  look  on  Madame  Campan  as 
living;  she  herself  felt  that  she  belonged  no  more  to  this 
world." 

When  she  thought  of  her  family,  of  her  friends  at  Manfes, 
and  of  all  those  who  loved  her  with  the  most  lively  affection,  her 
heart  failed,  and  in  those  moments  of  affecting  weakness,  she 
would  say,  "  I  shall  not  die,  doctor,  shall  I  ?"  But  soon  re- 
suming her  courage,  she  imparted  to  others  a  hope  which  she 
no  longer  cherished  herself.  She  constantly  saw  near  her  a 
woman  who  had  never  quitted  her  for  forty  years ;  who  had 
shared  in  her  troubles  as  well  as  in  her  hours  of  prosperity ;  who 
guessed  her  thoughts,  watched  her  slightest  wishes,  and  repaid 
her  unbounded  confidence,  by  the  attentions  of  the  tenderest 
attachment :  here  all  who  knew  Madame  Campan  will  name 
Madame  Yoisin.  "  Courage,"  said  she,  "  death  will  not  separate 
two  friends  like  us."f 

*  Colonel  Heme,  one  of  the  best  officers  of  the  old  army,  assisted 
the  surgeons  during  the  operation. 

j-  Death,  in  fact,  will  not  separate  them.  The  family  of  Madame 
Campan  has  erected  a  tomb  to  her  in  the  cemetery  of  Mantes.  It 
bears  a  simple  epitaph  on  a  column  of  white  marble,  surmounted  by 


OF   MADAME   CAMP  AN.  xll 

She  herself  set  the  example  of  the  strength  of  mind  with 
which  she  wished  to  inspire  others.  Sometimes  looking  back  to 
the  days  of  her  youth,  she  saw,  in  imagination,  the  young  girl 
so  lively  and  gay,  surprised  by  Louis  XV.  in  the  midst  of  her 
play.  Sometimes  she  thought  with  emotion  on  the  kindness 
with  which  Marie  Antoinette  repaid  her  attachment.  "The 
bull's-eye  at  Versailles,"  said  she,  "will  never  forgive  me,  for 
having  obtained  the  confidence  of  the  King  and  Queen.  The 
demands  of  a  swarm  of  flatterers  were  frequently  unjust,  and 
when  the  Queen  condescended  to  consult  me,  I  spoke  with 
sincerity."* 

Sometimes  the  fate  of  France  occupied  her  thoughts.  The 
light,  which  the  throne  itself  diffuses,  was,  in  her  opinion,  the 
only  security  against  the  extravagant  claims  of  some  individuals. 
"  Power,"  said  she,  "  now  resides  in  the  laws.  In  any  other 
situation  it  would  be  misplaced.  But  this  truth  escapes  them. 
The  dust  of  old  parchments  blinds  them."f 

The  day  before  her  death,  "  My  friend,"  she  said,  to  her  phy- 
sician, "  I  throw  myself  into  the  arms  of  Providence ;  that  is  the 
only  invisible  support  that  can  sustain  us.  The  idea  is  consol- 
ing ;  I  am  much  attached  to  the  simplicity  of  my  religion :  I 
revere  it;  I  hate  all  that  savours  of  fanaticism." J  When  her 
codicil  was  presented  for  her  signature,  her  hand  trembled  ;  "  It 
would  be  a  pity,"  she  said,  "to  stop,  when  so  fairly  ou  the 
road." 

The  day  she  died  her  window  was  opened.  The  sky  was 
clear,  the  air  pure  and  fresh.  "  This  resembles  the  air  and  cli- 
mate of  Switzerland,"  said  she }  "I  passed  there  two  months 

an  urn.  Tufts  of  dahlia  adorn  the  four  corners  of  the  monument :  be- 
neath is  the  vault  which  contains  her  ashes.  The  friend  she  has  left 
will  repose  near  her. 

*  M.  Maigne's  account. 

f  Ibid. 

J  Ibid.  Before  she  submitted  to  an  operation  which  is  almost  al- 
ways fatal,  Madame  Campan  had  scrupulously  fulfilled  her  religious 
duties. 


xlii  BIOGRAPHICAL   NOTICE 

of  unmixed  happiness. Her  soul  is  so  noble,  and  our  hearts 

understand  each  other  so  well !" 

Her  dissolution  rapidly  approached.  Her  mind  had  lost 
nothing  of  its  strength.  "  Notwithstanding  my  condition/'  said 
she,  "  I  am  desirous  of  expressing  my  thoughts." — "  I  was  a 
little  way  from  her  bed,"  adds  her  physician,  whose  words  we 
have  quoted.  "  She  called  me  in  rather  a  higher  tone  than  usual : 
I  ran  to  her.  Then,  reproaching  herself  for  this  little  hastiness, 
'  How  imperious  one  is/  she  said,  '  when  one  has  no  time  for 
politeness.' — A  moment  after,  she  was  no  more." 

Her  friends  witnessed  her  decease  on  the  16th  of  March, 
1822.  The  cheerfulness  she  displayed  throughout  her  malady, 
had  nothing  forced  or  affected  in  it.  Her  character  was  natu- 
rally powerful  and  elevated.  At  the  approach  of  death,  she 
evinced  the  soul  of  a  sage,  without  abandoning  for  an  instant  her 
feminine  character ;  without  renouncing  the  hopes  and  consola- 
tions of  a  Christian.  Her  religion  inclined  to  indulgence  and 
mildness,  which  is  constantly  the  case  with  those  whose  piety  is 
more  a  matter  of  faith  and  sentiment  than  of  formal  observance. 
Though  she  had  long  lived  in  the  higher  circles,  she  did  not  des- 
pise the  human  race.  The  envious  had  never  been  able  to  excite 
a  feeling  of  hatred  in  her  mind ;  the  ungrateful  had  not  wearied 
her  benevolence.  Her  credit,  her  time,  her  plans  belonged  to 
her  friends ;  her  purse  was  always  open  to  the  unfortunate. 

One  profound  sentiment,  her  attachment  to  the  Queen — one 
constant  study,  the  education  of  youth,  occupied  her  whole  life. 
Napoleon  once  said  to  her,  "  the  old  systems  of  education  were 
good  for  nothing — what  do  young  women  stand  in  need  of,  to  be 
well  brought  up  in  France  ?" — "  Of  mothers  !"  answered  Madame 
Campan.  "  It  is  well  said,"  replied  Napoleon.  "  Well,  Ma- 
dame, let  the  French  be  indebted  to  you  for  bringing  up  mothers 
for  their  children."  Madame  Campan's  answer  contains  the 
leading  idea  of  her  system  of  education.  All  the  cares  of  this 
excellent  preceptress  tended  to  enable  her  pupils  to  be  one  day 
the  teachers  of  their  own  daughters.  The  instructions  which  she 
read  on  Sundays  to  the  young  ladies  at  St.  Germain ;  the  little 


OP  MADAME  CAMPAN.  xliii 

anecdotes  which  she  composed,  as  much  for  their  instruction  as 
for  her  own  amusement }  the  work  which  she  was  finishing  at 
the  moment  of  her  death,  and  which  contains  the  fruits  of 
twenty  years'  experience,  are  all  directed  to  the  same  object.* 
"  Women/'  said  she  to  her  friends,  "  have  lost  the  empire  which 
chivalric  gallantry  formerly  gave  them.  They  would  now  dis- 
dain that  which  they  obtained,  at  a  later  period,  in  the  boudoir, 
or  on  the  brilliant  stage  of  the  court.  Their  new  dominion  ought 
to  be  founded  upon  good  morals,  and  not  in  opposition  to  them. 
Their  success,  although  perhaps  less  striking,  will  be  more  satis- 

*  Madame  Campan  has  left  several  manuscript  tales  and  plays,  of 
•which  we  shall  only  quote  the  titles  :  "  The  Old  Woman  of  the  Cabin ; 
Arabella,  or  the  English  Boarding-School ;  the  two  Educations  ;  The 
Little  Strolling  Players ;  The  Amateur  Concerts,  &c."  The  object  of 
all  these  is  the  instruction  of  youth.  In  her  last  moments  she  was 
completing  a  work  of  a  more  elevated  class,  On  the  Education  of  Women. 
No  one  could  do  more  ample  justice  to  this  interesting  title,  than  her- 
self. I  will  quote  the  first  words  of  this  Treatise  : — 

"My  work  will  be  destitute,"  she  said,  "of  the  attraction  of  those 
fictions  almost  always  connected  with  plans  of  education ;  and  the 
quantity  of  details  which  I  must  lay  before  my  readers,  gives  me  some 
uneasiness.  I  am  also  fearful  of  being  led  away  by  my  partiality  for 
those  innocent  and  lovely  creatures,  of  whom  an  amiable  crowd  sur- 
rounded me  for  so  many  years,  and  to  whom  I  have  been  indebted  for 
such  delightful  hours ;  sometimes  I  am  doubtful,  whether  a  sort  of 
slowness,  the  first  sad  infirmity  of  age,  does  not  prolong  my  discourses 
in  spite  of  me  ;  then  I  recollect,  that  I  am  dedicating  my  work  to  my 
former  pupils,  who  are  now  mothers  of  families :  I  consider  that  in 
devoting  to  them  the  fruit  of  long  experience,  I  am  speaking  to  them 
of  their  dearest  affections :  and  then  I  feel  encouraged." 

This  work  will  probably  appear,  as  soon  as  the  different  pieces  which 
Madame  Campan  had  finished,  can  be  arranged.  Her  plays  will  be 
added. 

It  is  generally  known,  that  Madame  Campan  has  published  the  Con- 
versations of  a  Mother  with  her  Daughters.  These  dialogues  have 
been  translated  into  Italian  and  English.  Madame  Campan  understood 
the  latter  language  extremely  well.  She  had  given  lessons  in  English 
to  the  Queen,  and  preserved  exercises  written  in  that  language  by 
Marie  Antoinette,  until  her  house  was  burnt,  on  the  10th  of  August. 
5* 


xliv  BIOGRAPHICAL   NOTICE 

factory  and  durable.  Every  day  adds  to  their  information, 
without  detracting  from  the  lighter  gf  aces,  the  modest  virtues  of 
their  sex.  But  it  is  not  sufficient  for  their  beauty  to  please,  for 
their  wit  to  charm ;  they  must  command  esteem  by  their  qua- 
lities j  their  talents  must  be  destined  to  form  the  delight  of 
their  family,  and  the  circle  of  their  duties  must  become  that  of 
their  pleasures  likewise." 

Surrounded  by  pupils  to  whom  her  conversation  was  a  reward, 
whether  she  talked  to  them  of  the  duties  of  their  sex,  or  of 
the  most  interesting  facts  in  history,  the  inquisitive,  attentive 
crowd  pressed  around  her,  eager  to  catch  every  word.  Some- 
times her  judicious  and  keen  understanding  would  draw  a  salu- 
tary lesson  from  a  little  amusing  story.  In  past  events,  she  often 
sought  traits  calculated  to  enlighten  their  minds  and  elevate  their 
sentiments.  I  call  on  all  the  pupils  of  Ecouen  to  bear  witness, 
how  often  she  spoke  to  them  of  Louis  IV.,  of  Charles  V.,  of  Louis 
XII.,  of  Henry  IV.,  in  particular,  and  of  the  virtues  with  which 
they  and  their  successors  had  adorned  the  throne.  When  she  came 
to  the  stormy  period  of  the  revolution,  she  would  explain  to 
them  the  outrages  committed  against  royal  majesty,  tell  them 
of  the  descendants  of  kings  living  in  a  foreign  land,  of  Louis 
XVI.  and  his  misfortunes,  of  the  Queen  and  the  afflictions  she 
had  been  made  to  endure.  These  recitals  affected  their  young 
hearts.  When  they  heard  her  talk  of  the  royal  family  of 
France,  the  daughters  of  Napoleon's  warriors  learned  the  respect 
that  should  be  paid  to  calamity,  and  the  gratitude  due  for  benefits 
received. 

Beyond  the  walls  of  the  mansion  of  Ecouen,  in  the  village 
which  surrounds  it,  Madame  Campan  had  taken  a  small  house 
where  she  loved  to  pass  a  few  hours  in  solitary  retirement. 
There,  at  liberty  to  abandon  herself  to  the  memory  of  the  past, 
the  superintendent  of  the  imperial  establishment  became,  once 
more,  for  the  moment  the  first  femme  de  chambre  to  Marie  An- 
toinette. To  the  few  friends  whom  she  admitted  into  this 
retreat,,  she  would  show,  with  emotion,  a  plain  muslin  gown 
which  the  Queen  had  worn,  and  which  was  made  from  a  part 


OF  MADAME  CAMPAN.  xlv 

of  Tippoo  Saib's  present.  A  cup,  out  of  which  Marie  Antoinette 
had  drunk,  a  writing  stand,  which  she  had  long  used,  were,  in 
her  eyes,  of  inestimable  value ;  and  she  has  often  been  discovered 
sitting,  in  tears,  before  the  picture  which  represented  her  royal 
mistress. 

"  Pardon  me,  august  shade !  unhappy  Queen,  pardon  me," 
she  says,  in  a  fragment  I  have  preserved  in  her  handwriting; 
"  thy  portrait  is  near  me  whilst  I  am  writing  these  words.  My 
imagination,  impressed  with  the  remembrance  of  thy  sorrows, 
every  instant  directs  my  eyes  to  those  features  which  I  wish  to 
animate,  and  to  read  in  them  whether  I  am  doing  service  to  thy 
memory  in  writing  this  work.  When  I  look  at  that  noble 
head,  which  fell  by  the  fury  of  barbarians,  tears  fill  my  eyes, 
and  suspend  my  narration.  Yes,  I  will  speak  the  truth,  by  which 
thy  shade  can  never  be  injured;  truth  must  prove  favourable  to 
her  whom  falsehood  so  cruelly  wronged." 

What  should  I  add  to  these  eloquent  words  ?  Madame  Campan 
is  no  more  ;  let  those  who  slandered  her  life  now  insult  her  me- 
mory ;  her  writings  will  defend  her  better  than  I  can. 

F.  BARRIERE. 


AUTHOR'S   PREFACE. 


THE  shelves  of  our  libraries  bend  under  the  weight  of  printed 
works  relating  to  the  last  years  of  the  eighteenth  century.  The 
grand  moral  and  political  causes  of  our  revolutions  have  already 
been  ably  traced  by  superior  intellects.  But  posterity  will  look 
also  for  the  secret  springs  by  which  these  events  were  brought 
about.  Nothing  but  memoirs,  penned  by  ministers  and  favour- 
ites, will  alone  satisfy  the  inquisitiveness  of  our  descendants,  and 
even  these,  only  to  a  certain  extent ;  for  kings  very  seldom 
yield  unbounded  confidence.  The  sovereign  intrusts  to  one  of 
those  who  surround  him,  a  secret  mission,  no  way  militating 
against  his  own  known  sentiments ;  and  developes  to  him  all 
the  details  of  some  affair  of  high  interest.  The  courtier  pro- 
ceeds under  a  persuasion  of  the  importance  of  his  mission ;  but 
while  his  pride  is  flattering  itself,  while  he  reposes  on  a  cer- 
tainty that  the  royal  heart  has  been  opened  before  him,  he  little 
suspects,  in  the  blindness  of  his  vanity,  the  thousand  folds,  al- 
ways to  be  concealed  from  him,  which  that  heart  contains.  He 
is  but  the  dupe  and  tool  of  him  whose  confidant  he  fancies  him- 
self. Some  other  person  has,  perhaps,  at  the  very  same  moment, 
received  an  opposite  commission,  which,  probably,  no  more  tal- 
lies with  the  real  designs  of  the  prince  than  the  former.  Each 
singly  thinks  himself  the  sole  depositary  of  his  sovereign's 
thoughts ;  and  upon  this  hollow  basis  each  erects  his  shadowy 
edifice  of  a  credit  which  he  does  not  possess. 

This  court-game  is  especially  in  vogue  when  the  superior  power 

(47) 


xlviii  PREFACE. 

is  under  the  necessity  of  satisfying,  or  of  conciliating,  opposite 
opinions,  without  really  adopting  either.  But  the  practice  of 
thus  scattering  marks  of  an  illusory  confidence  has  this  result, 
that  when  the  time  of  commotion  and  faction  arrives,  the  sove- 
reign finds  himself  without  any  solid  support,  or  disinterested 
attachment. 

Louis  XVI.  possessed  an  immense  crowd  of  confidants,  ad- 
visers, and  guides  :  he  selected  them  even  from  among  the  fac- 
tions which  attacked  him.  Never,  perhaps,  did  he  make  a  full 
disclosure  to  any  one  of  them,  and  certainly  he  spoke  with  sin- 
cerity to  but  very  few.  He  invariably  kept  the  reins  of  all 
secret  intrigues,  in  his  own  hand ;  and  thence,  doubtless,  arose 
the  want  of  co-operation  and  the  weakness  which  were  so  con- 
spicuous in  his  measures.  From  these  causes  considerable 
chasms  will  be  found  in  the  detailed  history  of  the  revolution. 

In  order  to  become  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  latter  years 
of  the  reign  of  Louis  XV.,  memoirs  written  by  the  Duke  de  Choi- 
seul,  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon,  the  Marshal  de  Richelieu,*  and  the 
Duke  de  la  Vauguyon,  should  be  before  us.  To  give  us  a  faith- 
ful portrait  of  the  unfortunate  reign  of  Louis  XVI.,  the  Marshal 
ctu  Muy,  M.  de  Maurepas,  M.  de  Vergennes,  M.  de  Malesherbes, 
the  Duke  d'Orleans,  M.  de  la  Fayette,  the  Abbe"  de  Vermond, 
the  Abbe"  Montesquiou,  Mirabeau,  the  Duchess  de  Polignac,  and 
the  Duchess  de  Luynes,  should  have  noted  faithfully  in  writing 
all  the  transactions  in  which  they  took  decided  parts. ~f  As  to  the 
secret  history  of  affairs  of  a  later  period,  it  has  been  disseminated 

*  I  heard  the  Marshal  de  Richelieu  desire  M.  Campan,  who  was 
librarian  to  the  Queen,  not  to  buy  the  Memoirs,  which  would  certainly 
be  attributed  to  him  after  his  death,  declaring  them  false  by  anticipa- 
tion :  and  adding,  that  he  was  ignorant  of  orthography,  and  had  never 
amused  himself  with  writing.  Shortly  after  the  death  of  the  marshal, 
one  Soulavie  put  forth  Memoirs  of  the  Marshal  de  Richelieu. 

Note  by  Madame  Campan. 

f  Nothing  hinders  the  partial  realization  of  this  supposition.  Among 
the  personages  here  enumerated  by  Madame  Campan,  we  know  some, 
•whose  names  may  very  shortly  appear  to  Memoirs  of  great  interest. 

Note  by  the  Editor. 


PREFACE.  xlix 

among  a  much  greater  number  of  persons ;  there  are  ministers 
who  have  published  memoirs,  but  solely  when  they  had  their 
own  measures  to  justify,  and  then  they  confined  themselves  to 
the  vindication  of  their  own  characters,  without  which  powerful 
motive  they  probably  would  have  written  nothing.  In  general, 
those  nearest  to  the  sovereign,  either  by  birth  or  by  office,  have 
left  no  memoirs ;  and  in  absolute  monarchies  the  main  springs 
of  great  events  will  be  found  in  particulars  which  the  most 
exalted  persons  alone  could  know.  Those  who  have  had  but 
little  under  their  charge,  find  in  that  little  no  subject  for  a  book; 
and  those  who  have  long  borne  the  burthen  of  public  business, 
conceive  themselves  to  be  forbidden  by  duty,  or  by  respect  for 
authority,  to  disclose  all  they  know.  Others  again  preserve 
notes,  with  the  intention  of  reducing  them  to  order,  when  they 
shall  have  reached  the  period  of  a  happy  leisure ;  vain  illusion 
of  the  ambitious,  which  they  cherish,  for  the  most  part,  but  as 
a  veil  to  conceal  from  their  sight  the  terrifying  image  of  their 
inevitable  downfall !  and  when  that  event,  at  length,  takes 
place,  despair  deprives  them  of  fortitude  to  dwell  upon  the 
dazzling  period  which  they  never  cease  to  regret. 

And  yet  the  historian,  who  is  sometimes  perplexed  at  having 
to  choose  among  the  differing  versions  presented  to  him  by 
contemporaries,  is  much  more  so  if  writings  are  wanting  to  him. 
He  then  has  recourse  to  tradition,  and  trusts  to  popular  talk ; 
he  draws  portraits  from  the  political  caricatures  sketched  by 
hatred,  or  by  flattery;  calumny  is  perpetuated,  and  some  noble 
characters  remain  blackened  for  ever.  An  ill  conducted  enter- 
prise is  called  criminal;  and  a  successful  villain  becomes  a 
hero.  History,  thus  written,  furnishes  no  lesson ;  it  is  either 
a  romance,  or  a  polluted  and  unconnected  collection  of  libels, 
which  perhaps  brought  the  smile  of  contempt  even  into  the  face 
of  him  who  wrote  them. 

Louis  XVI.  meant  to  write  his  own  memoirs  :  the  manner  in 
which  his  private  papers  were  arranged,  pointed  out  this  design. 
The  Queen,  also,  had  the  same  intention;  she  long  preserved  a 
large  correspondence,  and  a  great  number  of  minute  reports, 


1  PREFACE. 

made  in  the  spirit  and  upon  the  event  of  the  moment.  But  after 
the  20th  of  June,  1792,  she  was  obliged  to  burn  the  larger  por- 
tion of  what  she  had  so  collected.  Some  parts  of  the  correspond- 
ence preserved  by  the  Queen,  were  conveyed  out  of  France. 

Considering  the  rank  and  situations  of  the  persons  I  have 
named,  as  capable  of  elucidating,  by  their  writings,  the  history 
of  our  political  storms,  it  will  not  be  imagined  that  I  aim  at 
placing  myself  on  a  level  with  the  daughters  of  Louis  XV.,  or 
with  Marie  Antoinette.  I  knew  the  characters  of  those  prin- 
cesses ;  I  became  privy  to  some  extraordinary  facts,  the  publi- 
cation of  which  may  be  interesting,  and  the  truth  of  the  details 
will  form  the  merit  of  my  work. 

I  was  very  young  when  I  was  placed  about  the  princesses, 
the  daughters  of  Louis  XV.,  in  the  capacity  of  reader.  I  was 
acquainted  with  the  court  of  Versailles,  before  the  time  of 
the  marriage  of  Louis  XVI.  with  the  archduchess  Marie  An- 
toinette. 

My  father,  who  was  employed  in  the  department  of  Foreign 
Affairs,  enjoyed  the  reputation  due  to  his  talents,  and  to  his 
useful  labours.  He  had  travelled  much.  Frenchmen,  on  their 
return  home  from  foreign  countries,  bring  with  them  a  love  for 
their  own,  increased  in  warmth ;  and  no  man  was  more  pene- 
trated with  this  feeling,  which  ought  to  be  the  first  virtue  of 
every  placeman,  than  my  father.  Men  of  the  first  celebrity, 
academicians,  and  learned  individuals,  both  natives  and  foreign- 
ers, sought  my  father's  acquaintance ;  and  were  gratified  by  being 
admitted  into  his  house. 

Twenty  years  before  the  Revolution,  I  often  heard  it  remarked 
that  the  imposing  character  of  the  power  of  Louis  XIV.  was  no 
longer  to  be  found  in  the  palace  of  Versailles ;  that  the  institu- 
tions of  the  ancient  monarchy  were  rapidly  sinking;  and  that 
the  people,  crushed  beneath  the  weight  of  taxes,  were  miserable 
though  silent;  but  that  they  began  to  give  ear  to  the  bold 
speeches  of  the  philosophers,  who  loudly  proclaimed  their  suffer- 
ings, and  their  rights;  and  in  short,  that  the  age  would  not 


PREFACE.  li 

pass  away  without  the  occurrence  of  some  grand  shock,  which 
would  unsettle  France,  and  change  the  course  of  its  progress. 

Those  who  thus  spoke,  were  almost  all  partisans  of  M.  Tur- 
got's  system  of  administration  :  they  were  Mirabeau  the  father, 
Doctor  Quesnay,  Abbe  Baudeau,  and  Abbe  Nicoli,  charge" 
d'affaires  to  Leopold,  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany,  and  as  enthu- 
siastic an  admirer  of  the  maxims  of  the  innovators  as  his 
sovereign. 

My  father  sincerely  respected  the  purity  of  intention  of  these 
politicians.  With  them  he  acknowledged  many  abuses  in  the 
government ;  but  he  did  not  give  these  political  sectarians  credit 
for  the  talent  necessary  for  conducting  a  judicious  reform.  He 
told  them  frankly,  that  in  the  art  of  moving  the  great  machine 
of  government,  the  wisest  of  them  was  inferior  to  a  good  police 
magistrate ;  and  that,  if  ever  the  helm  of  affairs  should  be  put 
into  their  hands,  they  would  be  speedily  checked  in  the  execu- 
tion of  their  schemes,  by  the  immeasurable  difference  existing 
between  the  most  brilliant  theories  and  the  simplest  practice  of 
administration. 

In  one  of  these  conversations,  which,  young  as  I  was,  engaged 
my  attention,  I  heard  my  father  compare  the  monarchy  of  France 
to  a  beautiful  and  antique  statue  :  he  agreed,  that  the  pedestal 
which  supported  it  was  mouldering  away ;  and  that  the  con- 
tours of  the  statue  were  disappearing  under  the  parasitical  plants 
which  were  gradually  covering  it.  "  But,"  he  inquired,  with  a 
feeling  of  painful  apprehension,  "where  is  the  artist  skilful 
enough  to  repair  the  base,  without  shaking  the  statue  ?"  Such 
adepts  were  not  to  be  found;  and  the  attempts  at  restoration 
only  precipitated  ruin.  The  storm  of  passion  burst,  the  whole 
monument  gave  way,  and  its  fall  jarred  all  Europe  ! 


VOL.  I. — 6 


MEMOIRS 


MARIE    ANTOINETTE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Court  of  Louis  XV. — His  Character — The  King's  Debotter — Characters 
of  the  Princesses — Retirement  of  Madame  Louise  to  the  Carmelites 
of  Saint  Denis — Madame  du  Barry — The  Court  divided  between  the 
Party  of  the  Duke  de  Choiseul  and  that  of  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon. 

I  WAS  fifteen  years  of  age  when  I  was  appointed  reader  to 
the  princesses.  I  will  begin  by  describing  the  court  at  that 
period. 

Maria  Leckzinska  was  just  dead ;  the  death  of  the  dauphin 
had  preceded  hers  by  three  years ;  the  Jesuits  were  suppressed, 
and  piety  was  to  be  found  at  court  only  in  the  apartments  of  the 
princesses.  The  Duke  de  Choiseul  was  in  power. 

The  King  thought  of  nothing  but  the  pleasures  of  the  chase ; 
it  might  have  been  imagined  that  the  courtiers  indulged  thenW- 
selves  in  epigrammatizing,  by  hearing  them  say  seriously  on 
those  days  when  the  King  did  not  hunt,  the  King  does  nothing 
to-day. 

Little  journeys  were  also  affairs  of  great  importance  with  the 
King.  On  the  first  day  of  the  year,  he  noted  down  in  his 
almanac  the  days  of  departure  for  Compiegne,  for  Fontaine- 

(53) 


64  MEMOIRS  OF 

bleau,  Choisy,  &c.  The  weightiest  matters,  the  most  serious 
events,  never  deranged  this  distribution  of  his  time. 

Etiquette  still  existed  at  court  with  all  the  strictness  it  had 
acquired  under  Louis  XIV.;  dignity  alone  was  wanting.  As 
to  gayety,  it  was  out  of  the  question  :  Versailles  no  longer  pre- 
sented an  assemblage  graced  by  French  wit  and  elegance.  The 
focus  of  wit  and  information  was  Paris. 

Since  the  death  of  the  Marchioness  de  Pompadour,  the  King 
had  no  awowed  mistress ;  he  contented  himself  with  the  plea- 
sures he  derived  from  his  little  seraglio  of  the  Parc-au-Cerfs. 
It  is  well  known  that  the  monarch  found  the  separation  of 
Louis  de  Bourbon  from  the  King  of  France,  the  most  pleasing 
feature  of  his  royal  existence.  They  would  have  it  so;  they 
thought  it  for  the  best;  was  his  way  of  expressing  himself  when 
the  measures  of  his  ministers  were  unsuccessful.  The  King 
delighted  to  manage  the  most  disgraceful  particulars  of  his  pri- 
vate expenses  himself;  he  one  day  sold  to  a  head  clerk  in  the 
war  department,  a  house,  in  which  one  of  his  mistresses  had 
lodged ;  the  contract  ran  in  the  name  of  Louis  de  Bourbon ;  and 
the  purchaser  himself  took  in  a  bag  the  price  of  the  house  in 
gold  to  the  King  in  his  private  closet. 

Louis  XV.  saw  very  little  of  his  family;  he  came  every 
morning,  by  a  private  staircase,  into  the  apartment  of  Madame 
Adelaide.  He  often  brought  and  drank  there,  coffee  that  he 
had  made  himself.  Madame  Adelaide  pulled  a  bell,  which 
apprised  Madame  Victoire  of  the  King's  visit;  Madame  Vic- 
toire,  on  rising  to  go  to  her  sister's  apartment,  rang  for  Madame 
Sophie,  who  in  her  turn  rang  for  Madame  Louise.  The  apart- 
ments of  the  princesses  were  of  very  large  dimensions.  Madame 
Louise  occupied  the  farthest  room.  The  latter  poor  princess 
was  deformed  and  very  short :  she  used  to  run  with  all  her 
might  to  join  the  daily  meeting;  but  in  spite  of  her  haste, 
having  a  number  of  rooms  to  cross,  she  frequently  had  only 
just  time  to  embrace  her  father  before  he  set  out  for  the  chase 

Every  evening  at  six,  the  ladies  interrupted  my  reading  to 
them,  to  accompany  the  princes  to  Louis  XV. ;  this  visit  was 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  55 

called  the  King's  dcbottcr*  and  was  marked  by  a  kind  of 
etiquette.  The  princesses  put  on  an  enormous  hoop,  which  set 
out  a  petticoat  ornamented  with  gold  or  embroidery;  they 
fastened  a  long  train  round  their  waists,  and  concealed  the 
undress  of  the  rest  of  their  clothing  by  a  long  cloak  of  black 
taffety  which  enveloped  them  up  to  the  chin.  The  gentlemen 
ushers,  the  ladies  in  waiting,  the  pages,  the  esquires,  and  the 
ushers  bearing  large  flambeaux,  accompanied  them  to  the  King. 
In  a  moment  the  whole  palace,  generally  so  still,  was  in  motion ; 
the  King  kissed  each  princess  on  the  forehead,  and  the  visit 
was  so  short,  that  the  reading  which  it  interrupted  was  fre- 
quently resumed  at  the  end  of  a  quarter  of  an  hour :  the 
princesses  returned  to  their  apartments,  untied  the  strings  of 
their  petticoats  and  trains,  resumed  their  tapestry,  and  I 
returned  to  my  book. 

During  the  summer  season,  the  King  sometimes  came  to  the 
residence  of  the  princesses  before  the  hour  of  his  dclotter.  One 
day  he  found  me  alone  in  Madame  Victoire's  closet,  and  asked 
me  where  Coclie\  was :  I  stared,  and  he  repeated  his  question, 
but  without  being  at  all  the  more  understood.  "When  the  King 
was  gone,  I  asked  madame  of  whom  he  spoke.  She  told  me 
that  it  was  herself,  and  very  coolly  explained  to  me,  that  being 
the  fattest  of  his  daughters,  the  King  had  given  her  the  familiar 
name  of  Coche;  and  that  he  called  Madame  Adelaide,  Loque;^ 
Madame  Sophie,  Graille;§  and  Madame  Louise,  Chiffe.\\  No- 
thing but  the  zest  of  these  contrasts  could  afford  the  King  any 
amusement  in  the  use  of  such  words.  The  people  of  his  house- 
hold observed  that  he  knew  a  great  number  of  them,  and  it 
was  supposed  that  he  had  learned  them  from  his  mistresses; 
possibly,  too,  he  had  amused  himself  with  picking  them  out 
from  dictionaries.  If  this  style  of  speaking  betrayed  the  habits 
and  tastes  of  the  King,  his  manner,  however,  savoured  nothing 
of  such  vulgarity;  his  walk  was  easy  and  noble;  he  had  a 

*  Debotter  meaning  the  time  of  unbooting.-  —  Tr. 
•j-  The  fat  pig.  J  Rag. 

\  Scrap.  II  Bad  silk,  or  stuff. 

6* 


66  MEMOIRS  OF 

dignified  carriage  of  the  head;  and  his  aspect,  without  being 
severe,  was  imposing :  he  combined  great  politeness  with  a  truly 
regal  demeanour,  and  gracefully  saluted  the  humblest  female 
whom  curiosity  led  into  his  path. 

He  was  very  expert  in  a  number  of  little  trifling  matters, 
which  never  occupy  attention  but  for  want  of  something  better 
to  employ  it;  for  instance,  he  would  knock  off  the  top  of  an 
egg-shell,  very  cleverly,  at  a  single  stroke  of  his  fork;  he  there- 
fore always  ate  eggs  when  he  dined  in  public,  and  the  Parisian 
cockneys,  who  came  on  Sundays  to  see  the  King  dine,  returned 
home  less  struck  with  his  fine  figure  than  with  the  dexterity 
with  which  he  broke  his  eggs. 

Repartees  of  Louis  XV.  which  marked  the  keenness  of  his  wit 
and  the  elevation  of  his  sentiments,  were  quoted  with  pleasure 
in  the  assemblies  of  Versailles.  They  have  been  recorded  in 
collections  of  anecdotes,  and  are  generally  known. 

This  prince  was  still  beloved ;  it  was  wished  that  a  style  of 
life,  suitable  to  his  age  and  dignity,  should  at  length  cast  a  veil 
over  the  follies  of  the  past,  and  justify  the  love  cherished  by 
the  French  for  his  youth.  It  gave  them  pain  to  judge  him 
harshly.  The  princesses  were  blamed  for  not  seeking  to  prevent 
the  danger  of  the  King's  forming  an  intimacy  with  some  new 
favourite.  Madame  Henriette,  twin  sister  of  the  Duchess  of 
Parma,  was  much  regretted;  for  she  had  considerable  in- 
fluence over  the  King's  mind,  and  it  was  remarked,  that  if 
she  had  lived,  she  would  have  been  assiduous  in  finding  him 
amusements  in  the  bosom  of  his  family ;  that  she  would  have 
followed  him  in  his  short  excursions,  and  would  have  done  the 
honours  of  the  petits  soupers  which  he  was  so  fond  of  giving  in 
his  private  apartments. 

The  princesses  had  too  much  neglected  the  means  of  pleasing 
the  King ;  but  this  obviously  arose  from  the  little  attention  he 
had  paid  them  in  their  youth. 

In  order  to  console  the  people  under  their  sufferings,  and  to 
shut  their  eyea  to  the  real  depredations  of  the  treasury,  the 
ministers  occasionally  pressed  the  most  extravagant  measures 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  67 

of  reform,  in  the  King's  household,  and  even  on  his  personal 
expenses. 

Cardinal  Fleury,  who  in  truth  had  the  merit  of  re-establish- 
ing the  finances,  carried  this  system  of  economy  so  far,  as  to 
obtain  from  the  King  the  suppression  of  the  household  and  edu- 
cation of  the  four  younger  princesses.  They  were  brought  up 
as  mere  boarders,  in  a  convent,  eight  leagues  distant  from  the 
coast.  Saint-Cyr  would  have  been  more  suitable  for  the  recep- 
tion of  the  King's  daughters ;  probably  the  cardinal  was  infected 
with  some  of  those  prejudices  which  will  always  attach  to  even 
the  most  useful  institutions;  and  which,  since  the  death  of 
Louis  XIV.,  had  been  raised  against  the  noble  establishment 
of  Madame  de  Maintenon.  He  preferred  intrusting  the  educa- 
tion of  the  princesses  to  a  provincial  sisterhood.  Madame  Louise 
often  assured  me,  that  at  twelve  years  of  age  she  was  not  mistress 
of  the  whole  alphabet,  and  never  learned  to  read  fluently  until 
after  her  return  to  Versailles. 

Madame  Victoire  attributed  certain  paroxysms  of  panic  terror, 
which  she  was  never  able  to  conquer,  to  the  violent  alarms  she 
experienced  at  the  Abbey  of  Fontevrault,  when  she  was  sent,  by 
way  of  penance,  to  pray  alone,  in  the  vault  where  the  sisters 
were  interred.  No  salutary  foresight  had  been  exerted  to  pre- 
serve these  princesses  from  those  dismal  impressions,  against 
which  the  most  unenlightened  mother  knows  how  to  guard  her 
children. 

A  gardener  belonging  to  the  abbey  died  raving  mad :  his 
habitation,  without  the  walls,  was  in  the  neighbourhood  of  a 
chapel  of  the  abbey,  where  the  princesses  were  taken  to  repeat 
the  prayers  for  those  in  the  agonies  of  death.  Their  prayers 
were  more  than  once  interrupted  by  the  shrieks  of  the  dying 
man. 

The  most  absurd  indulgences  were  mixed  with  these  cruel 
practices.  Madame  Adelaide,  the  eldest  of  the  princesses,  was 
haughty  and  passionate :  the  good  sisters  never  failed  to  give 
way  to  her  ^idiculous  fancies.  The  dancing-master,  the  only 
professor  of  graceful  accomplishments  who  had  followed  the 


68  MEMOIRS  OF 

ladies  to  Fontevrault,  was  teaching  them  a  dance  then  much  in 
fashion,  ;vhich  "was  called  the  rose-coloured  minuet.  Madame 
Adelaide  insisted  that  it  should  be  named  the  blue  minuet.  The 
teacher  resisted  her  whim,  and  urged  that  he  should  be  laughed 
at,  at  court,  if  the  princess  should  talk  of  a  blue  minuet.  The 
princess  refused  to  take  her  lesson,  stamped,  and  repeated  blue, 
blue.  Rose,  rose,  said  the  master.  The  sisterhood  assembled  to 
decide  the  important  case ;  the  nuns  cried  blue  with  the  prin- 
cess; the  minuet  was  re-christened,  and  she  danced.  Among 
women  so  little  worthy  of  the  office  of  an  instructress,  there 
was,  however,  one  sister,  who,  by  her  judicious  tenderness,  and 
by  the  useful  proofs  which  she  gave  of  it  to  the  princesses,  enti- 
tled herself  to  their  attachment,  and  obtained  their  gratitude : 
this  was  Madame  de  Soulanges,  whom  they  afterwards  caused  to 
be  appointed  abbess  of  Royal-Lieu.*  They  also  toot  upon  them- 
selves the  promotion  of  this  lady's  nephews  ; — those  of  Madame 
Mac-Carthy,  who  had  weakly  indulged  her  charge,  carried  for  a 
long  time  the  musket  of  the  King's  guard  at  the  door  of  the 
princesses,  without  the  latter  thinking  of  advancing  their  for- 
tune. 

When  the  princesses,  still  very  young,  returned  to  court,  they 
enjoyed  the  friendship  of  the  dauphin,  and  profited  by  his  advice. 
They  devoted  themselves  ardently  to  study,  and  gave  up  almost 
the  whole  of  their  time  to  it ;  they  enabled  themselves  to  write 
French  correctly,  and  acquired  a  good  knowledge  of  history. 
Madame  Adelaide,  in  particular,  had  a  most  insatiable  desire 
to  learn  ;  she  was  taught  to  play  upon  all  instruments  from  the 
horn  (will  it  be  believed  !)  to  the  Jew's  harp.  Italian,  English, 

*  This  excellent  woman  fell  a  victim  to  the  revolutionary  madness. 
She  and  her  numerous  sisters  were  led  to  the  scaffold  on  the  same  day. 
While  leaving  the  prison,  they  all  chanted  the  Veni  Creator,  upon  the 
fatal  car.  When  arrived  at  the  place  of  execution  they  did  not  inter- 
rupt their  strains.  One  head  fell,  and  ceased  to  join  its  voice  with  the 
celestial  chorus — but  the  strain  continued.  The  abbess  suffered  last , 
and  her  single  voice,  with  increased  tone,  still  raised  the  devout  ver- 
8icle.  It  ceased  at  once — it  was  the  silence  of  death  ! 

Note  by  Madame  Campan. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  69 

the  higher  branches  of  the  mathematics,  turning  and  dialling, 
successively  filled  up  the  leisure  moments  of  the  princesses. 
Madame  Adelaide  was  graced  for  a  short  time  with  a  charming 
figure  :  but  never  did  beauty  vanish  so  quickly.  Madame  Vic- 
toire  was  handsome,  and  very  graceful ;  her  address,  mien,  and 
smile,  were  in  perfect  accordance  with  the  goodness  of  her  heart. 
Madame  Sophie  was  remarkably  ugly ;  never  did  I  behold  a  per- 
son of  so  revolting  an  appearance  :  she  walked  with  the  greatest 
rapidity ;  and,  in  order  to  recognise  people  without  looking  at 
them,  she  had  acquired  the  habit  of  leering  on  one  side,  like  a 
hare.  This  princess  was  so  exceedingly  diffident,  that  a  person 
might  be  with  her  daily,  for  years  together,  without  hearing  her 
utter  a  single  word.  It  was  asserted,  however,  that  she  dis- 
played talent,  and  even  attractiveness,  in  the  society  of  some 
favourite  ladies.  She  taught  herself  a  great  deal,  but  she 
studied  alone ;  the  presence  of  a  reader  would  ham  disconcerted 
her  very  much.  There  were,  however,  occasionl^lh  which  this 
princess,  generally  so  untractable,  became  all  at  once  affable  and 
condescending,  and  manifested  the  most  communicative  good 
nature ;  this  would  happen  during  a  storm ;  she  was  afraid  of 
it,  and  so  great  was  her  alarm  on  such  an  occasion,  that  she 
then  approached  the  most  humble,  and  would  ask  them  a 
thousand  obliging  questions ;  a  flash  of  lightning  made  her 
squeeze  their  hands ;  a  peal  of  thunder  would  drive  her  to  em- 
brace them ;  but  with  the  return  of  the  calm,  the  princess  re- 
sumed her  stiffness,  her  reserve,  and  her  repulsive  air,  and  passed 
every  one  without  taking  the  slightest  notice,  until  a  fresh  storm 
restored  to  her,  at  once,  her  terror  and  her  affability. 

These  ladies  found,  in  a  beloved  brother,  whose  excellent 
qualities  are  known  to  all  Frenchmen,  a  guide  in  everything 
wanting  to  their  education,  so  much  neglected  in  infancy.  In 
their  august  mother,  Maria  Leckzinska,  they  possessed  the  noblest 
model  of  every  pious  and  social  virtue :  that  princess,  by  her 
eminent  qualifications  and  her  modest  dignity,  veiled  the  failings 
with  which,  most  unhappily,  the  King  was  justly  reproachable; 
and  while  she  lived,,  she  preserved  in  the  court  of  Louis  XV. 


60  MEMOIRS   OP 

that  suitable  and  imposing  tone  which  alone  supports  the  respect 
due  to  power.  The  princesses,  her  daughters,  were  worthy  of 
her;  and,  if  a  few  degraded  beings  did  aim  the  shafts  of  ca- 
lumny at  them,  these  shafts  dropped  harmless,  warded  off  by 
the  high  idea  entertained  of  the  elevation  of  their  sentiments, 
and  the  purity  of  their  conduct. 

If  the  ladies  had  not  tasked  themselves  with  numerous  occu- 
pations, they  would  have  been  much  to  be  pitied.  They  loved 
walking,  but  could  enjoy  nothing  beyond  the  public  gardens  of 
Versailles  :  they  would  gladly  have  cultivated  flowers,  but  could 
have  no  others  than  those  in  their  windows. 

The  Marchioness  de  Durfort,  since  Duchess  de  Civrac,*  afforded 
Madame  Victoire  the  sweets  of  an  amiable  society.  The  prin- 
cess spent  almost  all  her  evenings  with  that  lady  ;  and  at  length 
fancied  herself  one  of  her  family. 

Madame  dttJNarbonne  had,  in  a  similar  way,  taken  pains  to 
make  her  intimate  acquaintance  agreeable  to  Madame  Adelaide. 

Madame  Louise  had  for  many  years  lived  in  great  seclusion  : 
I  read  to  her  five  hours  a  day ;  my  voice  frequently  betrayed  the 
exhaustion  of  my  lungs ;  the  princess  would  then  prepare  su- 
gared water  for  me,  place  it  by  me,  and  apologize  for  making  me 
read  HO  long,  on  the  score  of  having  prescribed  a  course  of  read- 
ing for  herself. 

One  evening,  while  I  was  reading,  she  was  informed  that  M. 
Bertin,  minister  of  the  escheats,  desired  to  speak  with  her :  she 
went  out  abruptly,  returned,  resumed  her  silks  and  embroidery, 
and  made  me  resume  ruy  book ;  when  I  retired,  she  commanded 
me  to  be  in  her  closet  the  next  morning  at  eleven  o'clock. 
When  I  got  there,  the  princess  was  gone  out ;  I  learned  that 
she  had  gone  at  seven  in  the  morning  to  the  convent  of  the  Car- 
melites of  Saint  Denis,  where  she  was  desirous  of  taking  the 

*  The  Duchess  de  Civrac,  grandmother  of  two  heroes  of  La  Vendee, 
Lescure  and  La  Roche-Jaquelin,  by  the  marriage  of  her  eldest  daughter 
with  M.  d'Onissau;  and  of  the  unfortunate  Labedoyere,  by  the  mar- 
riage of  her  second  daughter  with  M.  de  Chastellux. 

Note  by  Madame  Campari. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  61 

veil.  I  went  to  Madame  Victoire.  There  I  heard  that  the 
King  alone  had  been  acquainted  with  Madame  Louise's  project; 
that  he  had  kept  it  faithfully  secret,  and  that,  having  long  pre- 
viously opposed  her  wish,  he  had  only  on  the  preceding  evening 
sent  her  his  consent;  that  she  had  gone  alone  into  the  convent, 
where  she  was  expected ;  and  that,  a  few  minutes  afterwards,  she 
had  made  her  appearance  at  the  grate,  to  show  the  Princess  de 
Guistel,  who  had  accompanied  her  to  the  convent-gate,  and  to 
her  attendant,  the  King's  order  to  leave  her  in  the  monastery. 

Upon  receiving  the  intelligence  of  her  sister's  departure, 
Madame  Adelaide  gave  way  to  violent  paroxysms  of  rage ;  and 
reproached  the  King  bitterly  for  the  secrecy  which  he  had 
thought  it  his  duty  to  preserve.  Madame  Victoire  missed  the 
society  of  her  favourite  sister,  but  she  only  shed  tears  in  silence 
on  her  abandonment  of  them.  The  first  time  I  saw  this  excel- 
lent princess  after  that  event,  I  threw  myself  at  her  feet,  kissed 
her  hand,  and  asked  her,  with  all  the  confidence  of  youth,  whe- 
ther she  would  quit  us  as  Madame  Louise  had  done  ?  She 
raised  me,  embraced  me,  and  said,  pointing  to  the  sofa  upon 
which  she  was  extended,  "  Make  yourself  easy,  my  dear ;  I  shall 
never  have  Louise's  courage.  I  love  the  conveniences  of  life 
too  well ;  this  couch  is  my  destruction."  As  soon  as  I  obtained 
permission  to  do  so,  I  went  to  Saint  Denis  to  see  my  august 
and  holy  mistress;  she  deigned  to  receive  me  with  her  face 
uncovered,  in  her  private  parlour ;  she  told  me  she  had  just  left 
the  wash-house,  and  that  it  was  her  turn  that  day  to  attend  to 
the  linen.  "  I  greatly  misused  your  youthful  lungs,  for  two 
years,  before  the  execution  of  my  project,"  added  she  :  "I  knew 
that  here  I  could  read  none  but  books  tending  to  our  salvation, 
and  I  wished  to  review  all  the  historians  that  had  inte- 
rested me." 

She  informed  me,  that  the  King's  consent  for  her  to  go  to 
Saint  Denis,  had  been  brought  to  her  while  I  was  reading ;  she 
prided  herself,  and  with  reason,  upon  having  returned  to  her 
closet  without  the  slightest  mark  of  agitation,  though  she  said 
she  felt  so  keenly,  that  she  could  scarcely  regain  her  chair. 


62  .MEMOIRS  OF 

She  added,  that  moralists  were  right,  when  they  said  that  hap- 
piness does  not  dwell  in  palaces ;  that  she  had  proved  it ;  and 
that,  if  I  desired  to  be  happy,  she  advised  me  to  come  and 
enjoy  a  retreat  in  which  the  liveliest  imagination  might  find  full 
exercise  in  the  contemplation  of  a  better  world.  I  had  no 
palace,  no  earthly  grandeur  to  sacrifice  to  Grod;  nothing  but  the 
society  of  an  affectionate  family ;  but  it  is  precisely  there,  that 
the  moralists  whom  she  cited  have  placed  true  happiness.  I 
replied,  that  in  private  life,  the  absence  of  a  beloved  and  che- 
rished daughter  would  be  too  cruelly  felt  by  her  family.  The 
princess  said  no  more  on  the  subject. 

The  seclusion  of  Madame  Louise  was  attributed  to  various 
motives :  some  were  unkind  enough  to  suppose  it  to  have  been 
occasioned  by  her  mortification  at  being,  in  point  of  rank,  the 
last  of  the  princesses.  I  think  I  penetrated  the  true  cause. 

Her  souL^ras  lofty;  she  loved  everything  sublime;  often, 
while  I  wa^MpLding,  she  would  interrupt  me  to  exclaim,  "That 
is  beautiful  ithat  is  noble  !"  There  was  but  one  brilliant  action 
that  sh'6>  could  perform — to  quit  a  palace  for  a  cell,  and  rich  gar- 
ments for  a  frieze  gown.  She  achieved  it. 

I  saw  Madame  Louise  two  or  three  times  more  at  the  grate. 
I  was  informed  of  her  death  by  Louis  XVI.  "  My  aunt  Louise," 
said  he  to  me,  "your  old  mistress,  is  just  dead  at  Saint  Denis. 
I  have  this  moment  received  intelligence  of  it.  Her  piety  and 
resignation  were  admirable,  and  yet  the  delirium  of  my  good 
aunt  recalled  to  her  recollection  that  she  was  a  princess,  for  her 
last  words  were :  To  paradise,  quick,  quick,  full  speed.  No 
doubt  she  thought  she  was  again  giving  orders  to  her  groom."4 

Madame  Victoire,  good,  sweet-tempered,  and  affable,  lived 
with  the  most  amiable  simplicity  in  a  society  wherein  she  was 
much  caressed :  she  was  adored  by  her  household.  Without 
quitting  Versailles,  without  sacrificing  her  indolent  sofa,  she 
fulfilled  the  duties  of  religion  with  punctuality,  gave  to  the  poor 

•  Since  Madame  Cainpan  relates  this  anecdote,  we  will  not  dispute 
its  authenticity;  but  it  seems  to  agree  but  little  with  the  pious  senti- 
ments and  reserved  manners  of  Louis  XVI. — Note  by  the  Editor. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  63 

all  that  she  possessed,  and  strictly  observed  lent  and  the  fasts. 
It  is  true  that  the  table  of  the  princesses  had  acquired  a  reputa- 
tion for  dishes  of  abstinence,  which  the  assiduous  parasites  at 
that  of  their  maitre  d'hotel  spread  abroad.  Madame  Victoire 
was  not  indifferent  to  good  living,  but  she  had  the  most  religious 
scruples  respecting  dishes  which  it  was  allowable  for  her  to  eat 
of  at  penitential  times.  I  saw  her  one  day  exceedingly  tor- 
mented by  her  doubts  about  a  water  fowl,  which  was  often  served 
up  to  her  during  lent.  The  question  to  be  irrevocably  deter- 
mined, was,  whether  it  was  fish  or  flesh.  She  consulted  a 
bishop,  who  happened  to  be  of  the  party :  the  prelate  imme- 
diately assumed  a  decided  tone  of  voice,  and  the  grave  attitude  of  a 
judge  in  the  highest  court  of  appeal.  He  answered  the  princess 
that  it  had  been  resolved,  that  in  a  similar  case  of  doubt,  after 
dressing  the  bird,  it  should  be  pricked  over  a  very  cold  silver 
dish;  that  if  the  gravy  of  the  animal  congealed  within  a  quar- 
ter of  an  hour,  the  creature  was  to  be  accounted  flesh ;  but  if 
the  gravy  remained  in  an  oily  state,  it  might  b'e  eaten  at  all 
times  without  scruple.  Madame  Victoire  immediately  made  the 
experiment :  the  gravy  did  not  congeal ;  and  this  was  a  source  of 
great  joy  to  the  princess,  who  was  very  partial  to  that  sort  of 
game.  The  abstinence  which  so  much  occupied  the  .attention 
of  Madame  Victoire,  was  so  disagreeable  to  her,  that  she  listened 
with  impatience  for  the  striking  of  the  midnight  hour  of  holy 
Saturday ;  and  then  she  was  immediately  supplied  with  a  good 
dish  of  fowl  and  rice,  and  sundry  other  succulent  viands.  She 
confessed,  with  such  amiable  candour,  her  taste  for  good  cheer 
and  the  comforts  of  life,  that  one  must  have  been  as  severe  in 
principle  as  insensible  to  the  excellent  qualities  of  the  princess, 
to  blame  her  for  it. 

Madame  Adelaide  had  more  talents  than  Madame  Victoire ; 
but  she  was  altogether  deficient  in  that  kindness  which  alone 
creates  affection  for  the  great :  abrupt  manners,  a  harsh  voice, 
and  a  short  way  of  speaking  rendered  her  more  than  imposing. 
She  carried  the  idea  of  the  prerogative  of  rank  to  a  high  pitch. 

VOL.  i. — 7 


64  MEMOIRS  OF 

One  of  her  chaplains  was  unlucky  enough  to  say  Dominus  vobis- 
cum,  with  rather  too  easy  an  air  :  the  princess  rated  him  soundly 
for  it  after  mass,  and  told  him  to  remember  that  he  was  not  a 
bishop,  and  not  to  think  again  of  officiating  in  the  style  of  a 
prelate. 

The  ladies  lived  quite  separate  from  the  King.  Since  the 
death  of  Madame  de  Pompadour  he  had  lived  alone.  The  eu3- 
mies  of  the  Duke  de  Choiseul  did  not  know  in  what  society,  nor 
through  what  channel  they  could  prepare  and  bring  about  the 
downfall  of  the  man  who  stood  in  their  way.  The  King  was 
connected  only  with  women  of  so  low  a  class,  that  they  could 
not  be  made  use  of  for  any  regular  intrigue;  moreover  the 
parc-aux-cerfs  was  a  seraglio  the  beauties  of  which  were  often 
changed  ;*  it  was  desirable  to  give  the  King  a  mistress  who  might 
form  a  circle  round  her,  and  in  whose  drawing-room,  through 
the  power  of  daily  insinuations,  the  long  standing  attachment 
of  the  King  for  the  Duke  de  Choiseul  might  be  overcome.  It 
is  true  that  Madame  du  Barry  was  selected  from  a  class  suffi- 
ciently low.  Her  origin,  her  education,  her  habits,  and  every- 
thing about  her,  bore  a  vulgar  and  shameful  character ;  but  by 
marrying  her  to  a  man  who  dated  his  nobility  from  1400,  it 
was  thought  scandal  would  be  avoided.  The  conqueror  of  Mahon 
conducted  this  vile  intrigue,  j"  Such  a  mistress  was  judiciously 

*  Details  respecting  the  parc-aux-cerfs  will  be  found  amongst  the 
Anecdotes  and  Recollections. — Note  by  the  Editor. 

•}•  It  appeared  at  this  period  as  if  every  feeling  of  dignity  was  lost. 
"  Few  noblemen  of  the  French  court,"  says  a  writer  of  the  time, 
"  preserved  themselves  from  the  general  corruption.  The  Marshal  de 
Brissac  was  one  of  the  latter.  He  was  bantered  on  the  strictness  of 
his  principles  of  honour  and  honesty  ;  it  was  thought  strange  that  he 
should  be  offended  at  being  thought,  like  so  many  others,  exposed  to 
hymeneal  disgrace.  Louis  XV.,  who  was  present,  and  laughed  at  Us 
angry  fit,  said  to  him :  « Come,  M.  de  Brissac,  don't  be  angry  ;  'tis  lut 
a  trifling  evil;  take  courage.'  '  Sire,' replied  M.  de  Brissac,  'I  possosa 
all  kinds  of  courage,  except  that  which  can  brave  shame.' " 

Note  by  the  Editor. 


MARIE   ANTOINETTE.  66 

selected  for  the  diversion  of  the  latter  years  of  a  man  weary  of 
grandeur,  fatigued  with  pleasure,  and  cloyed  with  voluptuous- 
ness.— Neither  the  wit,  the  talents,  the  graces  of  the  Marchio- 
ness de  Pompadour,  her  regular  beauty,  nor  even  her  love  for 
the  King,  would  have  had  any  further  influence  over  that  worn- 
out  being. 

He  wanted  a  Roxalana  of  familiar  gayety,  without  any  respect 
for  the  dignity  of  the  sovereign.  Madame  du  Barry  one  day  so 
far  forgot  propriety,  as  to  desire  to  be  present  at  a  council  of 
state :  the  King  was  weak  enough  to  consent  to  it :  there  she 
remained  ridiculously  perched  up,  on  the  arm  of  his  chair, 
playing  off  all  sorts  of  childish  monkey  tricks,  calculated  to 
please  an  old  sultan. 

Another  time  she  snatched  a  packet  of  sealed  letters  from  the 
King's  hand ;  among  them  she  had  observed  one  from  Count  de 
Broglie  ;  she  told  the  King  that  she  knew  that  vile  Broglie  spoke 
ill  of  her  to  him,  and  that  for  that  once,  at  least,  she  would 
make  sure  he  should  read  nothing  respecting  her.  The  King 
wanted  to  get  the  packet  again ;  she  resisted,  and  made  him 
run  two  or  three  times  round  the  table,  which  was  in  the  middle 
of  the  council-chamber,  and  at  length  passing  the  fire-place,  she 
threw  the  letters  into  the  grate,  where  they  were  consumed. 
The  King  became  furious ;  he  seized  his  audacious  mistress  by 
the  arm,  and  put  her  out  of  the  door  without  speaking  to  her. 
— Madame  du  Barry  thought  herself  utterly  disgraced;  she 
returned  home,  and  remained  two  hours,  alone,  abandoned  to  the 
utmost  distress.  The  King  went  to  her  :  the  countess,  in  tears, 
threw  herself  at  his  feet,  and  he  pardoned  her. 

Madame  la  Marechale  de  Beauvau,  the  Duchess  de  Choiseul,  and 
the  Duchess  de  Grammont,  had  renounced  the  honour  of  the 
King's  intimate  acquaintance,  rather  than  share  it  with  Madame 
du  Barry.  But  a  few  years  after  the  death  of  Louis  XV.,  Ma- 
dame la  Marechale,  being  alone  at  the  Val,  a  house  belonging 
to  M.  de  Beauvau,  Mademoiselle  de  Dillon  saw  the  countess's 
calash  take  shelter  in  the  forest  of  Saint-Germain  during  a  vio- 


66  MEMOIRS  OF 

lent  storm.  She  invited  her  in,  and  the  countess  herself  related 
these  particulars,  which  I  had  from  Madame  do  Beauvau.* 

The  Count  du  Barry,  surnamed  le  rout  (the  profligate)  and 
Mademoiselle  du  Barry  advised,  or  rather  prompted  Madame  du 
Barry  in  furtherance  of  the  plans  of  the  party  of  the  Marshal 
de  Richelieu,  and  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon.  Sometimes  they  set 
her  to  act  even  in  such  a  way,  as  to  have  an  useful  influence  upon 
great  political  measures.  Under  pretence  that  the  page  who 
accompanied  Charles  the  First  in  his  flight,  was  <*  du  Ba.rry  or 
Barrymore,  they  persuaded  the  Countess  du  Barry  to  buy  in 
London  that  fine  portrait  which  we  now  have  in  the  museum. 
She  had  the  picture  placed  in  her  drawing-room,  and  when  she 
saw  the  King  hesitating  upon  the  violent  measure  of  breaking 
up  his  parliament,  and  forming  that  which  was  called  the  Mau- 
peou  parliament,  she  desired  him  to  look  at  the  portrait  of  a 
King,  who  had  given  way  to  his  parliament. 

The  men  «f  ambition  who  were  labouring  to  overthrow  the 
Duke  de  Choiseul,  strengthened  themselves  by  their  concentra- 
tion at  the  house  of  the  favourite,  and  succeeded  in  their 
project.  The  bigots,  who  never  forgave  that  minister  the  sup- 
pression of  the  Jesuits,  and  who  had  always  been  hostile  to  a 
treaty  of  alliance  with  Austria,  influenced  the  minds  of  the 
princesses.  The  Duke  de  la  Vauguyon,  the  young  dauphin's 
"•overnor,  inspired  him  with  the  same  prejudices. 

*  Chamfort  relates  differently,  Madame  du  Barry's  visit  to  the  Val. 
"Madame  du  Barry,"  says  lie,  "being  at  Vinccnnes,  was  curious  to 
see  the  Val.  Madame  de  Beauvau  was  amused  at  the  idea  of  going 
there  and  doing  the  honours.  She  talked  of  what  happened  under 
Louis  XV.  Madame  du  Barry  was  complaining  of  various  matters, 
which  appeared  to  show  that  she  was  personally  detested.  '  By  no 
means,'  said  Madame  de  Beauvau,  'we  aimed  at  nothing  but  your 
place.'  After  this  frank  confession,  Madame  du  Barry  was  asked  if 
Louis  XV.  did  not  say  a  great  deal  against  her  (Madame  du  Beauvau), 
and  Madame  de  Grammont.  '  Oh  !  a  great  deal.'  'Well,  and  what  of 
me,  for  instance  ?'  '  Of  you,  Madame  ?  That  you  are  haughty  and 
intriguing,  and  that  you  lead  your  husband  by  the  nose.'  M.  ae  Beau- 
vau was  present.  The  conversation  was  soon  changed." 

Note  by  the  Editor. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  07 

Such  was  the  state  of  the  public  mind,  when  the  young  arch- 
duchess Marie  Antoinette  arrived  at  the  court  of  Versailles,  just 
at  the  moment  when  the  party  which  brought  her,  was  about  to 
be  overcome.* 

Madame  Adelaide  openly  avowed  her  dislike  to  a  princess  of 
the  house  of  Austria ;  and  when  M.  Campan  went  to  receive  his 
orders,  at  the  moment  of  setting  off  with  the  household  of  the 
dauphiness,  to  go  and  receive  the  archduchess  upon  the  frontiers, 
ehe  said,  she  disapproved  of  the  marriage  of  her  nephew  with  an 
archduchess;  and  that,  if  she  had  had  any  order  to  give,  it 
would  not  have  been  to  seek. 

*  See  Historical  Illustrations  (A),  for  an  account  which  explains  the 
strength,  means,  projects,  and  hopes  of  the  two  parties,  which  divided 
the  court  of  Louis  XV.  at  that  period. 

Those  historical  pieces  are  divided  into  two  classes  Those  which 
Madame  Campan  herself  had  collected  or  arranged,  will  be  marked  by 
Numbers.  We  shall  continue  to  denote  the  documents  we  have  col- 
lected by  capital  letters. — Note  by  the  Editor. 


68  MEMOIRS  OF 


CHAPTER  H. 

Birth  of  Marie  Antoinette  attended  by  a  memorable  Calamity — A 
Feature  of  Maria  Theresa's  Character — Education  of  the  Arch- 
duchesses— Preceptors  provided  for  Marie  Antoinette  by  the  court 
of  Vienna — Preceptor  sent  her  by  the  Court  of  France — Abb4  de 
Vermond — Change  in  the  French  Ministry — Cardinal  de  Rohan  suc- 
ceeds Baron  de  Breteuil,  as  Ambassador  at  Vienna — Portrait  of 
that  Prelate. 

MARIE-ANTOINETTE-JOSEPHE-JEANNE  DE  LORRAINE,  Arch- 
duchess of  Austria,  daughter  of  Francis  de  Lorraine  and  Maria 
Theresa,  was  born  on  the  2d  of  November,  1755,  the  day  of  the 
earthquake  of  Lisbon ;  and  this  catastrophe,  which  appeared  to 
stamp  the  era  of  her  birth  with  a  fatal  mark,  without  forming  a 
motive  for  superstitious  fear  with  the  princess,  nevertheless  made 
an  impression  upon  her  mind.  As  the  Empress  already  had  a 
great  number  of  daughters,  she  ardently  desired  to  have  another 
son,  and  playfully  wagered  against  her  wish  with  the  Duke  de 
Parouka,  who  had  insisted  that  she  would  give  birth  to  an  arch- 
duke. He  lost  by  the  birth  of  the  princess,  and  had  executed 
in  porcelain  a  figure  with  one  knee  bent  on  the  earth,  and  pre- 
senting tablets,  upon  which  the  following  verses  by  the  cele- 
brated Metastasio  were  engraved  : — 

Io  perdei :  1'  augusta  figlia 
A  pagar,  m'  a  condannato ; 
Ma  s'  e  ver  che  a  TOI  somiglia, 
Tutto  il  mondo  ha  guadagnato. 

The  Queen  was  fond  of  talking  of  the  first  years  of  her  youth. 
Her  father,  the  Emperor  Francis,  had  made  a  deep  impression 
upon  her  heart ;  she  lost  him  when  she  was  scarcely  seven  years 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  69 

old.  One  of  those  circumstances  which  fix  themselves  strongly 
in  the  memories  of  children,  frequently  recalled  his  last  caresses 
to  her.  The  Emperor  was  setting  out  for  Inspruck;  he  had 
already  left  his  palace,  when  he  ordered  a  gentleman  to  fetch 
the  archduchess  Marie  Antoinette,  and  bring  her  to  his  car- 
riage. When  she  came,  he  stretched  out  his  arms  to  receive 
her,  and  said,  after  having  pressed  her  to  his  bosom,  "I  wished 
to  embrace  this  child  once  more."  The  Emperor  died  suddenly 
during  the  journey,  and  never  saw  his  beloved  daughter  again. 

The  Queen  often  spoke  of  her  mother,  and  with  profound 
respect,  but  she  formed  all  her  schemes  for  the  education  of  her 
children,  by  the  essentials  which  had  been  neglected  in  her  own. 
Maria  Theresa,  who  inspired  awe  by  her  great  qualities,  taught 
the  archduchesses  to  fear  and  respect  rather  than  to  love  her,  at 
least  I  observed  it  in  the  Queen's  feelings  towards  her  august 
mother.  She  therefore  never  desired  to  place  between  her  own 
children  and  herself,  that  distance  which  had  existed  in  the  im- 
perial family.  She  cited  a  fatal  consequence  of  it,  which  had 
made  upon  her  such  a  powerful  impression  as  time  had  never 
been  able  to  efface.  The  wife  of  the  Emperor  Joseph  II.  was 
taken  from  him  in  a  few  days,  by  an  attack  of  small-pox  of  the 
worst  kind.  Her  coffin  had  recently  been  deposited  in  the  vault 
of  the  imperial  family.  The  archduchess  Josepha,  who  had 
been  betrothed  to  the  king  of  Naples,  at  the  instant  she  was 
quitting  Vienna,  received  an  order  from  the  Empress  not  to  set 
off  without  having  offered  up  a  prayer  in  the  vault  of  her  fore- 
fathers. The  archduchess,  persuaded  that  she  should  take  the 
disorder  to  which  her  sister-in-law  had  just  fallen  a  victim, 
looked  upon  this  order  as  her  death-warrant.  She  loved  the 
young  archduchess  Marie  Antoinette  tenderly;  she  took  her 
upon  her  knees,  embraced  her  with  tears,  and  told  her  she  was 
about  to  leave  her,  not  for  Naples,  but  never  to  see  her  again ; 
that  she  was  then  going  down  to  the  tomb  of  her  ancestors,  and 
that  she  should  shortly  go  again,  there  to  remain.  Her  antici- 
pation was  realized ;  a  confluent  small-pox  carried  her  off  in  a 


TO  MEMOIRS  OF 

very  few  days,  and  her  youngest  sister  ascended  the  throne  of 
Naples  in  her  place. 

The  Empress  was  too  much  taken  up  with  high  political  in- 
terests, to  have  it  in  her  power  to  devote  herself  to  maternal 
attentions.  The  celebrated  Van  Swieten,  her  physician,  went 
daily  to  visit  the  young  imperial  family,  and  afterwards  to 
Maria  Theresa,  and  gave  the  most  minute  details  respecting  the 
health  of  the  archdukes  and  archduchesses,  whom  she  herself 
sometimes  did  not  see  for  eight  or  ten  days  at  a  time.  As  soon 
as  the  arrival  of  a  stranger  of  rank  at  Vienna  was  made  known, 
the  Empress  collected  her  family  about  her,  admitted  them  to 
her  table,  and  by  this  concerted  meeting  induced  a  belief  that 
she  herself  presided  over  the  education  of  her  children. 

The  chief  governesses  being  under  no  fear  of  inspection  from 
Maria  Theresa,  aimed  at  making  themselves  beloved  by  their 
pupils,  by  the  common  and  blameable  practice  of  indulgence,  so 
fatal  to  the  future  progress  and  happiness  of  infancy.  Marie  An- 
toinette was  the  cause  of  her  governess  being  dismissed,  through 
a  confession  that  all  her  copies  and  all  her  letters,  were  invariably 
first  traced  out  with  pencil ;  the  Countess  de  Brandes  was  appointed 
to  succeed  her,  and  fulfilled  her  duties  with  great  exactness  and 
talent.  The  Queen  looked  upon  her  having  been  confided  to  her 
care  so  late,  as  a  misfortune,  and  always  continued  upon  terms 
of  friendship  with  that  lady.  The  education  of  Marie  Antoi- 
nette was  certainly  very  much  neglected.*  The  public  prints, 
however,  teemed  with  assertions  of  the  superior  talents  of  Maria 
Theresa's  children.  They  often  noticed  the  answers  which  the 
young  princesses  gave  in  Latin  to  the  harangues  addressed  to 
them ;  they  uttered  them,  it  is  true,  but  without  understanding 
them :  they  knew  not  a  single  word  of  that  language. 

*  With  the  exception  of  the  Italian  language,  all  that  related  to 
belles  lettres,  and  particularly  to  history,  even  that  of  her  own  country, 
•was  almost  entirely  unknown  to  her.  This  was  soon  found  out  at  the 
court  of  France,  and  thence  arose  the  generally  received  opinion,  that 
ehe  was  deficient  in  sense.  It  will  be  seen,  in  the  course  of  these  Me- 
moirs, whether  that  opinion  was  well  or  ill  founded. 

Note  by  Madame  Campan. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  71 

Mention  was  one  day  made  to  tho  Queen,  of  a  drawing  made 
by  her,  and  presented  by  the  Empress  to  M  Gerard,  chief  secre- 
tary of  foreign  affairs,  on  the  occasion  of  his  going  to  Vienna,  to 
draw  up  the  articles  for  her  marriage-contract.  "I  should  blush," 
said  she,  "if  that  proof  of  the  quackery  of  my  education  were 
shown  to  me.  I  do  not  believe  that  I  ever  put  a  pencil  upon 
that  drawing."  However,  what  had  been  taught  her  she  knew 
perfectly  well.  Her  facility  of  learning  was  inconceivable,  and 
if  all  her  teachers  had  been  as  well  informed,  and  as  faithful  to 
their  duty  as  the  Abb6  Metastasio,  who  taught  her  Italian,  she 
would  have  attained  as  great  a  proficiency  in  the  other  branches 
of  her  education.  The  Queen  spoke  that  language  with  grace 
and  ease,  and  translated  the  most  difficult  poets.  She  did  not 
write  French  correctly,  but  she  spoke  it  with  the  greatest 
fluency,  and  even  affected  to  say  that  she  had  lost  the  German. 
In  fact,  she  attempted  in  1787  to  learn  her  mother-tongue,  and 
took  lessons  assiduously  for  six  weeks ;  she  was  obliged  to  re- 
linquish them,  finding  all  the  difficulties  which  a  Frenchwoman, 
who  should  take  up  the  study  too  late,  would  have  to  encounter. 
In  the  same  manner  she  gave  up  English,  which  I  had  taught 
her  for  some  time,  and  in  which  she  had  made  rapid  progress. 
Music  was  the  accomplishment  in  which  the  Queen  most  delighted. 
She  did  not  play  well  on  any  instrument,  but  she  had  become 
able  to  read  at  sight,  like  a  first-rate  professor.  She  had  attained 
this  degree  of  perfection  in  France,  this  branch  of  her  education 
having  been  neglected  at  Vienna,  as  much  as  the  rest.  A 
few  days  after  her  arrival  at  Versailles,  she  was  introduced  to 
her  singing-master,  La  Garde,  author  of  the  opera  of  Egle*.  She 
made  a  distant  appointment  with  him,  needing,  as  she  said,  rest 
after  the  fatigues  of  the  journey,  and  the  numerous  fetes  which 
had  taken  place  at  Versailles;  but  the  motive  was,  a  desire  to 
conceal  how  ignorant  she  was  of  the  rudiments  of  music.  She 
asked  M.  Campan  whether  his  son,  who  was  a  good  musician, 
could  give  her  lessons  secretly  for  three  months.  "  The  dauphi- 
ness,"  added  she  smiling,  "  must  be  careful  of  the  reputation 
of  tne  archduchess."  The  lessons  were  given  privately,  and  at 


72  MEMOIRS  OF 

the  end  of  three  months  of  constant  application,  she  sent  for  M. 
la  Garde,  and  surprised  him  by  her  skill. 

The  desire  to  perfect  Marie  Antoinette  in  the  study  of  the 
French  language,  was  probably  the  motive  which  determined 
Maria  Theresa  to  provide  for  her  as  teachers  two  French  actors, 
Aufresne,  for  pronunciation  and  declamation ;  and  one  Sainville, 
for  taste  in  French  singing;  the  latter  had  been  an  officer  in 
France,  and  bore  a  bad  character.  The  choice  gave  just  um- 
brage to  our  court.  The  Marquis  de  Durfort,  at  that  time  am- 
bassador at  Vienna,  was  ordered  to  make  a  representation  to  the 
Empress  upon  her  selection.  The  two  actors  were  dismissed, 
and  that  princess  required  that  an  ecclesiastic  should  be  sent  to 
her.  It  was  at  that  period  that  the  Duke  de  Choiseul  was  soli- 
citous to  send  her  a  preceptor.  Several  eminent  ecclesiastics 
declined  taking  upon  themselves  so  delicate  an  office ;  others 
who  were  pointed  out  by  Maria  Theresa  (among  the  rest  the 
Abbe  Grisel)  belonged  to  parties  which  sufficed  to  exclude  them. 

The  Archbishop  of  Toulouse,  since  Archbishop  of  Sens,  one 
day  went  to  M.  the  Duke  de  Choiseul,  at  the  moment  when  he 
was  really  embarrassed  upon  the  subject  of  this  nomination ;  he 
proposed  to  him  the  Abbe  de  Vermond,  librarian  of  the  College 
des  Quatre  Nations.  The  advantageous  manner  in  which  he 
spoke  of  his  protege"  procured  the  appointment  for  the  latter  on 
that  very  day  j  and  the  gratitude  of  the  Abbe"  de  Vermond 
towards  the  prelate  was  very  fatal  to  France,  inasmuch  as  after 
seventeen  years  of  persevering  attempts  to  bring  him  into  the 
ministry,  he  succeeded  at  last  in  getting  him  named  comptroller- 
general  and  president  of  the  council. 

This  Abbe  de  Vermond,  of  whom,  because  his  powers  always 
remained  in  the  shade,  historians  say  but  little,  directed  almost 
all  the  Queen's  actions.  He  had  established  his  influence  over 
her  at  an  age  when  impressions  are  the  most  durable ;  and  it 
was  easy  to  see,  that  he  had  only  endeavoured  to  render  himself 
beloved  by  his  pupil,  and  had  troubled  himself  very  little  with 
the  care  of  instructing  her.  He  might  have  even  been  accused 
of  having,  by  a  sharp-sighted  though  culpable  policy,  left  her 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  73 

in  ignorance.  Marie  Antoinette  spoke  the  French  language  with 
much  grace,  but  wrote  it  less  perfectly.  The  Abbe"  de  Vermond 
revised  all  the  letters  which  she  sent  to  Vienna.  The  insup- 
portable folly  with  which  he  boasted  of  it,  developed  the  charac- 
ter of  a  man  more  flattered  at  being  admitted  into  her  confidence, 
than  anxious  to  fulfil  the  high  ofiice  of  her  preceptor  with  pro- 
priety. 

His  pride  received  its  birth  at  Vienna,  where  Maria  Theresa, 
as  much  to  give  him  authority  with  the  archduchess,  as  to  make 
herself  mistress  of  his  character,  permitted  him  to  mix  every 
evening  with  the  private  circle  of  her  family,  into  which  the 
future  dauphiness  had  been  admitted  for  some  time.  Joseph  II., 
the  elder  archduchesses,  and  a  few  noblemen  honoured  by  the 
confidence  of  Maria  Theresa,  composed  the  party ;  and  all  that 
could  be  expected  from  persons  of  exalted  rank  in  reflections  on 
the  world,  on  courts,  and  the  duties  of  princes,  were  the  usual 
topics  of  conversation.  The  Abbe  de  Vermond,  in  relating  these 
particulars,  confessed  the  means,  which  he  had  made  use  of  to 
gain  admission  into  this  private  circle.  The  Empress,  meeting 
with  him  at  the  archduchess's,  asked  him  if  he  had  formed  any 
connections  in  Vienna  ?  "  None,  Madame,"  replied  he  ;  "  the 
apartment  of  the  archduchess  and  the  hotel  of  the  ambassador 
of  France,  are  the  only  places  which  the  man  honoured  with  the 
care  of  the  princess's  education  should  frequent."  A  month 
afterwards,  Maria  Theresa,  through  a  habit  common  enough 
among  sovereigns,  asked  him  the  same  question  and  received 
precisely  the  same  answer.  The  next  day,  he  received  an  order 
to  be  with  the  imperial  family  every  evening. 

It  is  extremely  probable,  from  the  constant  and  well  known 
intercourse  between  this  man  and  Count  Mercy,  ambassador  of 
the  empire  during  the  whole  reign  of  Louis  XVI.,  that  he  was 
useful  to  the  court  of  Vienna,*  and  that  he  often  caused  the 

*  A  person  who  had  dined  with  the  abbe*  one  day,  at  the  Count  de 
Mercy's,  said  to  that  ambassador,  how  can  you  bear  that  tiresome 
proser?  "How  can  you  ask  it?"  replied  M.  de  Mercy ;  "you  could 
answer  the  question  yourself :  it  is  because  I  want  him." 

Note  by  Madame  Campan. 


74  MEMOIRS  OF 

Queen  to  decide  on  measures,  the  consequences  of  which  she  did 
not  consider.  Born  in  a  low  class  of  citizens,*  imbued  with  all 
the  principles  of  the  modern  philosophy,  and  yet  holding  to  the 
hierarchy  of  the  church  more  tenaciously  than  any  other  eccle- 
siastic, vain,  talkative,  and,  at  the  same  time,  cunning  and 
abrupt,  very  ugly,  and  affecting  singularity,  treating  the  most 
exalted  persons  as  his  equals,  sometimes  even  as  his  inferiors, 
the  Abb6  de  Vermond  received  ministers  and  bishops  when  in 
his  bath ;  but  said  at  the  same  time  that  Cardinal  Dubois  was  a 
fool ;  that  a  man  such  as  he,  having  obtained  power,  ought  to 
make  cardinals,  and  refuse  to  be  one  himself. 

Intoxicated  with  the  reception  he  had  met  with  at  the  court 
of  Vienna,  and  having  till  then  seen  nothing  of  grandeur,  the 
Abb6  de  Vermond  admired  and  valued  no  other  customs  than 
those  of  the  imperial  family ;  he  ridiculed  the  etiquette  of  the 
house  of  Bourbon  incessantly ;  the  young  dauphiness  was  con- 
stantly incited  by  his  sarcasms  to  get  rid  of  it,  and  it  was  he 
who  first  induced  her  to  suppress  an  infinity  of  practices  of 
which  he  could  discern  neither  the  prudence  nor  the  political 
aim.  Such  is  the  faithful  portrait  of  that  man,  whom  the 
unlucky  star  of  Marie  Antoinette  had  reserved  to  guide  her  first 
steps  upon  a  stage,  so  conspicuous  and  so  full  of  danger  as  that 
of  the  court  of  Versailles. 

It  will  be  thought,  perhaps,  that  I  draw  the  character  of  the 
Abbe  de  Vermond  too  unfavourably;  but  how  can  I  view  with 
any  complacency  one,  who,  after  having  arrogated  to  himself  the 
office  of  confidant  and  sole  counsellor  of  the  Queen,  guided  her 
with  so  little  prudence,  and  caused  us  the  mortification  of  seeing 
that  princess  blend,  with  qualities  which  charmed  all  that  sur- 
rounded her,  errors  alike  injurious  to  her  reputation  and  her 
happiness?  When  a  man  voluntarily  takes  upon  himself 

*  The  Abbe"  de  Vermond  was  the  son  of  a  village  surgeon,  and  bro- 
ther of  an  accoucheur,  who  had  acted  in  that  capacity  for  the  Queen  : 
when  he  was  with  her  majesty,  in  speaking  to  his  brother,  he  never 
addressed  him  otherwise  than  as  Monsieur  1' Accoucheur. 

Note  by  Madame  Campan. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  76 

duties  so  important,  complete  success  alone  can  justify  his  am- 
bition. 

While  M.  de  Choiseul,  satisfied  with  the  person  whom  M.  do 
Brienne  had  presented,  sent  him  to  Vienna  with  every  eulogium 
calculated  to  inspire  unbounded  confidence,  the  Marquis  de  Dur- 
fort  sent  off  a  valet  de  chambre,  and  a  few  French  fashions ;  and 
then  it  was  thought  sufficient  pains  had  been  taken  to  form  the 
character  of  a  princess  destined  to  the  throne  of  France. 

It  is  universally  known  that  the  marriage  of  the  dauphin  with 
the  archduchess  was  determined  upon  during  the  administration 
of  the  Duke  de  Choiseul.  The  Marquis  de  Durfort,  who  was  to 
succeed  the  Baron  de  Breteuil  in  the  embassy  to  Vienna,  was 
appointed  proxy  for  the  marriage  ceremony;  but  six  months 
after  the  dauphin's  marriage,  the  Duke  de  Choiseul  was  dis- 
graced and  Madame  de  Marsan  and  Madame  de  Gue"menee,  who 
grew  more  powerful  through  the  duke's  disgrace,  conferred  that 
embassy  upon  Prince  Louis  de  Rohan,  afterwards  cardinal  and 
grand  almoner. 

Hence  it  will  be  seen,  that  the  Gazette  de  France  is  a  suffi- 
cient answer  to  those  ignorant  libellers,  who  dared  to  assert, 
that  the  young  archduchess  was  acquainted  with  the  Cardinal 
de  Rohan  before  the  period  of  her  marriage.  A  worse  selection 
in  itself,  or  one  more  disagreeable  to  Maria  Theresa,  than  that 
which  sent  to  her  in  quality  of  ambassador  a  man  so  light  and 
so  immoral  as  Prince  Louis  de  Rohan,  could  not  have  been 
made.  He  possessed  but  superficial  knowledge  upon  any  sub- 
ject, and  was  totally  ignorant  in  diplomatic  affairs.  His  repu- 
tation had  gone  before  him  to  Vienna,  and  his  mission  opened 
under  the  most  unfavourable  auspices.  In  want  -of  money,  and 
the  house  of  Rohan  being  unable  to  make  him  any  considerable 
advances,  he  obtained  from  his  court  a  patent  which  authorized 
him  to  borrow  the  sum  of  600,000  livres  upon  his  benefices,  ran 
in  debt  above  a  million,  and  thought  to  dazzle  the  city  and  court 
of  Vienna  by  the  most  indecent,  and  at  the  same  time  the  most  ill- 
judged  extravagance.  He  formed  a  suite  of  eight  or  ten  gentle- 

VOL.  I. — S 


76  MEMOIRS  OF 

men  of  names  sufficiently  high-sounding;  twelve  pages  equally 
well  born,  a  crowd  of  officers  and  servants,  a  company  of  cham- 
ber musicians,  &c.  But  this  idle  pomp  did  not  last ;  embar- 
rassment and  distress  soon  showed  themselves  ]  his  people  no 
longer  receiving  pay,  abused  the  privileges  of  ambassadors  in 
order  to  make  money,  and  smuggled*  with  so  much  effrontery, 
that  Maria  Theresa,  to  put  a  stop  to  it  without  offending  the 
court  of  France,  was  compelled  to  suppress  the  privileges  in  this 
respect  of  all  the  diplomatic  bodies,  a  step  which  rendered  the 
person  and  conduct  of  Prince  Louis  odious  in  every  foreign 
court.  He  seldom  obtained  private  audiences  from  the  Empress, 
who  did  not  esteem  him,  and  who  expressed  herself  without  re- 
serve upon  his  conduct,  both  as  a  bishop  and  as  an  ambassador,  f 
He  thought  to  obtain  favour  by  assisting  in  the  attempt  to 
effect  a  marriage  between  the  archduchess  Elizabeth,  the  elder 

*  I  have  often  heard  the  Queen  say,  that  in  the  office  of  the  secre- 
tary of  the  Prince  de  Rohan,  there  were  sold  in  one  year  at  Vienna, 
more  silk  stockings,  than  at  Lyons  and  Paris  together. 

Note  by  Madame  Campan. 

f  This  prelate,  who  was  vain,  light,  and  extravagant,  had  with  him, 
as  counsellor  and  secretary  to  the  embassy,  a  man  of  ability,  adroit, 
cunning,  well-informed  and  industrious :  he  was  a  Jesuit.  The  Abbe" 
Georgel  enjoyed  the  full  confidence  of  the  Prince  de  Rohan,  and  deserved 
it  for  his  devotion  and  talent.  A  singular  and  romantic  occurrence, 
which  he  himself  has  related  in  the  somewhat  long  but  often  interest- 
ing memoirs  he  has  left  behind  him,  opened  to  him  the  secrets  of  the 
court  of  Vienna.  This  anecdote  will  be  found  among  the  Illustrations : 
it  belongs  to  the  history  of  an  embassy,  which,  however  Madame  Cam- 
pan  may  treat  of  it,  was  perhaps  undignified,  but  was  not  without  ad- 
dress nor  success  in  that  kind  of  silent  and  underhand  war  waged  by 
diplomatists.  (B).  We  will  add  to  it  a  paper  (C)  worth  perusal,  on 
account  of  the  information  it  affords  respecting  the  means  formerly 
employed  at  Vienna,  London,  Paris,  in  all  courts,  and  particularity 
Louis  XIV.,  Maria  Theresa,  and  Louis  XV.,  for  hiring  intelligent  spies, 
corrupting  the  fidelity  of  clerks,  detecting  ciphers,  and  violating  the 
secrecy  of  letters:  means  disgraceful,  but  useful,  which  probity  dis- 
dains, at  which  governments  blush,  no  doubt,  and  whioh  they  would  do 
Letter  in  not  using. — Note  by  the  Editor. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  T7 

sister  of  Marie  Antoinette,  and  Louis  XV. ;  an  affair  which  was 
awkwardly  undertaken,  and  which  Madame  du  Barry  had  no 
difficulty  in  crushing.  I  have  deemed  it  my  duty  to  omit  no 
particular  of  the  moral  and  political  character  of  a  man  whose 
existence  was  subsequently  so  fatal  to  the  reputation  of  Marie 
Antoinette. 


MEMOIRS  OF 


CHAPTER  III. 

Arrival  of  the  Archduchess  in  France — Brilliant  Reception  of  the 
Dauphiness  at  Versailles — She  charms  Louis  XV. —  Madame  du 
Barry's  jealousy — Court  Intrigues — The  Dauphin — His  Brothers,  and 
their  Wives. 

• 
A  SUPERB  pavilion   had   been  prepared   upon  the  frontiers 

near  Kell :  it  consisted  of  a  vast  saloon,  connected  with  two 
apartments,  one  of  which  was  assigned  to  the  lords  and  ladies 
of  the  court  of  Vienna,  and  the  other  to  the  suite  of  the  dau- 
phiness,  composed  of  the  Countess  de  Noailles,  her  lady  of 
honour ;  the  Duchess  de  Cosse,  her  tire-woman ;  four  ladies  of 
the  bed-chamber ;  the  Count  de  Saulx-Tavannes,  first  gentleman 
usher ;  the  Count  de  Tesse,  first  equerry ;  the  Bishop  of  Chartres, 
chief  almoner;  the  officers  of  the  body-guards,  and  the  pages. 

When  the  dauphiness  had  been  entirely  undressed,  even  to 
her  body-linen  and  stockings,  in  order  that  she  might  retain 
nothing  belonging  to  a  foreign  court  (an  etiquette  always  ob- 
served on  such  an  occasion),  the  doors  were  opened ;  the  young 
princess  came  forward,  looking  round  for  the  Countess  de  Noail- 
les ;  then,  rushing  into  her  arms,  she  implored  her,  with  tears 
in  her  eyes,  and  with  a  heart-felt  sincerity,  to  direct  her,  to  ad- 
vise her,  and  to  be  in  every  respect  her  guide  and  support.  It 
was  impossible  to  refrain  from  admiring  her  aerial  deportment : 
— her  smile  was  sufficient  to  win  the  heart ;  and  in  this  enchant- 
ing being,  in  whom  the  splendour  of  French  gayety  shone  forth, 
—an  indescribable  but  august  serenity — perhaps,  also  the  some- 
what proud  position  of  her  head  and  shoulders,  betrayed  the 
daughter  of  the  Caesars. 

While  doing  justice  to  the  virtues  of  the  Countess  de  Noailles, 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  79 

those  sincerely  attached  to  the  Queen  have  always  considered  it 
as  one  of  the  earliest  misfortunes  of  the  latter — perhaps  even 
the  greatest  that  she  could  experience  on  her  entrance  into  the 
world — not  to  have  found,  in  the  person  assigned  her  for  an 
adviser,  an  indulgent,  enlightened  woman,  administering  good 
counsel  with  that  sweetness  which  engages  young  persons  to 
follow  it.  The  Countess  de  Noailles  had  nothing  agreeable  in 
her  appearance ;  her  demeanour  was  stiff  and  her  mien  severe. 
She  was  perfect  mistress  of  etiquette ;  but  she  wearied  the  young 
princess  with  it,  without  making  her  sensible  of  its  importance. 
So  much  ceremony  was  indeed  oppressive ;  but  it  was  adopted 
upon  the  expediency  of  presenting  the  young  princess  to  the 
French  in  such  a  manner  as  to  command  their  respect;  and 
especially  of  guarding  her  by  an  imposing  barrier  against  the 
deadly  shafts  of  calumny.  It  would  have  been  proper  to  con- 
vince the  dauphiness,  that  in  France  her  dignity  depended  much 
upon  customs  by  no  means  necessary  at  Vienna,  to  attract  the 
respect  and  love  of  the  good  and  submissive  Austrians  towards 
the  imperial  family.  The  dauphiness  was  thus  perpetually  tor- 
mented by  the  remonstrances  of  the  Countess  de  Noailles;  and 
at  the  same  time  prompted  by  the  Abbe*  de  Vermond  to  ridicule 
both  the  lessons  upon  etiquette,  and  her  who  gave  them.  She 
preferred  raillery  to  argument,  and  surnamed  the  Countess  de 
Noailles,  Madame  T Etiquette.  This  piece  of  humour  gave  rise 
to  a  presumption  that  as  soon  as  the  young  princess  could  follow 
her  own  inclinations,  she  would  free  herself  from  these  formal 
customs.* 

*  The  Countess  de  Noailles,  the  Queen's  lady  of  honour,  possessed 
abundance  of  good  qualities ;  piety,  charity,  and  irreproachable  mo- 
rals rendered  her  worthy  of  reverence ;  but  with  all  the  frivolity  which 
a  narrow  mind  could  add  even  to  the  noblest  qualifications,  the  coun- 
tess was  also  abundantly  provided.  Etiquette  was  to  her  a  kind  of 
atmosphere :  at  the  slightest  derangement  of  the  prescribed  order 
of  things,  it  might  be  imagined  that  she  was  on  the  point  of  being  suf- 
focated. The  Queen  required  a  lady  of  honour,  who  would  explain  to 
her  the  origin  of  these  forms  ;  very  inconvenient,  it  must  be  confessed, 
but  invented  as  a  fence  against  malevolence.  The  custom  of  having 

8* 


80  MEMOIRS  OF 

The  entertainments  which  were  given  at  Versailles,  on  the 
marriage  of  the  dauphin,  were  remarkably  splendid.  The  dau- 
phiness  arrived  there  in  time  for  her  toilette,  after  having  slept 
at  La  Muette,  where  Louis  XV.  had  been  to  receive  her;  and 
where  that  prince,  blinded  by  a  feeling  unworthy  of  a  sovereign 
and  the  father  of  a  family,  caused  the  young  princess,  the  royal 
family,  and  the  ladies  of  the  court,  to  sit  down  to  supper  with 
Madame  du  Barry. 

The  dauphiness  was  hurt  at  this  conduct;  she  spoke  of  it 
openly  enough  to  those  with  whom  she  was  intimate,  but  she 
knew  how  to  conceal  her  dissatisfaction  in  public,  and  her 
behaviour  showed  no  signs  of  it. 

She  was  received  at  Versailles  in  an  apartment  on  the  ground 
floor,  under  that  of  the  late  Queen,  which  was  not  prepared  for 
her  until  six  months  after  the  day  of  her  marriage. 

The  dauphiness,  then  fifteen  years  of  age,  beaming  with 
freshness,  appeared  to  all  eyes  more  than  beautiful.  Her  walk 
partook  at  once  of  the  noble  character  of  the  princesses  of  her 
house,  and  of  the  graces  of  the  French ;  her  eyes  were  mild — • 
her  smile  lovely.  When  she  went  to  chapel,  as  soon  as  she  had 
taken  the  first  few  steps  in  the  long  gallery,  she  discerned,  all 
the  way  to  its  extremity,  those  persons  whom  she  ought  to 
salute  with  the  consideration  due  to  their  rank ;  those  on  whom 
she  should  bestow  an  inclination  of  the  head;  and  lastly, 
those  who  were  to  be  satisfied  with  a  smile,  while  they  read  in 

ladies  of  honour,  and  gentlemen  ushers,  and  that  of  wearing  hoops  of 
three  ells  in  circumference,  were  certainly  invented  to  intrench  all 
young  princesses  so  respectably,  that  the  malicious  gayety  of  the 
French,  their  proneness  to  insinuations,  and  too  often  to  calumny, 
should  not  by  any  possibility  find  an  opportunity  to  attack  tkem. 

The  Countess  de  Noailles  was  incessantly  teasing  the  Queen  with  a 
thousand  remonstrances,  that  she  ought  to  have  saluted  this  person  in 
one  way,  and  that  person  in  another.  All  Paris  knew  that  the  Queen 
had  named  her  Madame  1'Etiquette :  according  to  their  turn  of  mind, 
some  approved  of  this  nick-name,  and  others  condemned  it ;  but  all 
agreed  that  the  young  Queen  was  disposed  to  free  herself  from  weari- 
some ceremonies. — Note  by  Madame  Campan. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  81 

her  eyes  a  feeling  of  benevolence,  calculated  to  console  them 
for  not  being  entitled  to  honours. 

Louis  XV.  was  enchanted  with  the  young  dauphiness;  all 
his  conversation  was  about  her  graces,  her  vivacity,  and  the 
aptness  of  her  repartees.  She  was  yet  more  successful  with 
the  royal  family,  when  they  beheld  her  shorn  of  the  splendour 
of  the  diamonds  with  which  she  had  been  adorned  during  the 
earliest  days  of  her  marriage.  When  clothed  in  a  light  dress 
of  gauze  or  taffety,  she  was  compared  to  the  Venus  di  Medicis, 
and  the  Atalanta  of  the  Marly  gardens.  Poets  sang  her 
charms,  painters  attempted  to  copy  her  features,  AH  ingenious 
idea  of  one  of  the  latter  was  rewarded  by  Louis  XV.  The 
painter's  fancy  had  led  him  to  place  the  portrait  of  Marie 
Antoinette  in  the  heart  of  a  full-blown  rose. 

The  King  continued  to  talk  only  of  the  dauphiness;  and 
Madame  du  Barry  angrily  endeavoured  to  damp  his  enthusiasm. 
Whenever  Marie  Antoinette  was  the  topic,  she  pointed  out  the 
irregularity  of  her  features,  criticised  the  bon-mots  quoted  as 
hers,  and  rallied  the  King  upon  his  prepossession  in  her  favour. 
Madame  du  Barry  was  affronted  at  not  receiving  from  the 
dauphiness  those  attentions  to  which  she  thought  herself  enti- 
tled; she  did  not  conceal  her  vexation  from  the  King;  she 
was  afraid  that  the  grace  and  cheerfulness  of  the  young  princess 
would  make  the  domestic  circle  of  the  royal  family  more  agree- 
able to  the  old  sovereign,  and  that  he  would  escape  her  chains  ; 
at  the  same  time  hatred  to  the  Choiseul  party  contributed 
powerfully  to  excite  the  enmity  of  the  favourite. 

It  is  known  that  the  shameful  elevation  of  Madame  du  Barry 
was  the  work  of  the  anti-Choiseul  party.  The  fall  of  that 
minister  took  place  in  November,  1770,  six  months  after  his 
long  influence  in  the  council  had  brought  about  the  alliance 
with  the  house  of  Austria,  and  the  arrival  of  Marie  Antoinette 
at  the  court  of  France.  The  princess,  young,  open,  volatile, 
and  inexperienced,  found  herself  without  any  other  guide  than 
the  Abbe"  de  Vermond,  in  a  court  ruled  by  the  enemy  of  the 
minister  who  had  brought  her  there,  and  in  the  midst  of  people 


82  MEMOIRS  OF 

who  hated  Austria,  and  detested  an  alliance  with  the  imperial 
house. 

The  Duke  d'Aiguillon,  the  Duke  de  la  Vauguyon,  the  Mar- 
shal de  Richelieu,  the  Rohans,  and  other  considerable  families, 
who  had  made  use  of  Madame  du  Barry  to  overthrow  the  duke, 
could  not  flatter  themselves,  notwithstanding  their  powerful 
intrigues,  with  a  hope  of  being  able  to  break  off  an  alliance 
solemnly  announced,  and  involving  such  high  political  interest. 
They  therefore,  without  abandoning  their  projects,  changed 
their  mode  of  attack ;  and  it  will  be  seen  how  well  the  conduct 
of  the  dauphin  served  as  a  basis  for  their  hopes. 

The  dauphiness  continually  gave  proof  of  both  sense  and  feel- 
ing. Sometimes  even  she  suffered  herself  to  be  carried  away 
by  those  transports  of  compassionate  kindness,  which  are  not  to 
be  controlled,  either  by  rank,  or  by  the  customs  which  it  estab- 
lishes. 

In  consequence  of  the  fire  in  the  Place  Louis  XV.,  which 
occurred  at  the  time  of  the  nuptial  entertainments,  the  dauphin 
and  dauphiness  sent  their  whole  income  for  the  year,  to  the 
relief  of  the  unfortunate  families  who  lost  their  relatives  on  that 
disastrous  day. 

This  act  of  generosity  is  in  itself  of  the  number  of  those 
ostentatious  kindnesses,  which  are  dictated  by  the  policy  of 
princes,  at  least,  as  much  as  by  their  compassion :  but  the  grief  of 
Marie  Antoinette  was  genuine,  and  lasted  several  days ;  nothing 
could  console  her  for  the  loss  of  so  many  innocent  victims ;  she 
spoke  of  it,  weeping,  to  her  ladies,  when  one  of  them  thinking, 
no  doubt,  to  divert  her  mind,  told  her  that  a  great  number  of 
thieves  had  been  found  among  the  bodies,  and  that  their  pockets 
were  filled  with  watches  and  other  valuables :  "  They  have  at 
least  been  well  punished,"  added  the  person  who  related  these 
particulars.  "  Oh,  no  !  no,  madame  !"  replied  the  dauphiness, 
"they  died  by  the  side  of  honest  people." 

In  passing  through  Rheims,  in  her  way  to  Strasburg,  she 


MARIE   ANTOINETTE.  83 

said,  "  That  town  is  the  one,  of  all  Prance,  which  I  hope  not  to 
see  again  for  a  long  time."* 

The  dauphiness  had  brought  from  Vienna  a  considerable 
number  of  white  diamonds :  the  King  added  to  them  the  gift 
of  the  diamonds  and  pearls  of  the  late  dauphiness,  and  also  put 
into  her  hands  a  collar  of  pearls,  of  a  single  row,  the  smallest 
of  which  was  as  lai-ge  as  a  filbert,  and  which  had  been  brought 
into  France  by  Anne  of  Austria,  and  appropriated  by  that  prin- 
cess to  the  use  of  the  queens  and  dauphinesses  of  France.f 

The  three  princesses,  daughters  of  Louis  XV.,  joined  in 
making  her  magnificent  presents.  Madame  Adelaide  at  the 
same  time  gave  the  young  princess  a  key  of  the  private  corridors 
of  the  castle  j  by  means  of  which,  without  any  suite,  and  with- 
out being  perceived,  she  could  get  to  the  apartment  of  her 
aunts,  and  see  them  in  private.  The  dauphiness,  on  receiving 
the  key,  told  them,  with  infinite  grace,  that  if  they  had  meant 
to  make  her  appreciate  the  superb  presents  they  were  kind 
enough  to  bestow  upon  her,  they  should  not  at  the  same  time 
have  offered  her  one  of  such  inestimable  value ;  for  that  to  the 
key  she  should  be  indebted  for  an  intimacy,  and  advice  unspeak- 
ably precious  at  her  age.  She  did,  indeed,  make  use  of  it  very 
frequently ;  but  Madame  Victoire  alone  permitted  her,  as  long 
as  she  continued  dauphiness,  to  visit  her  familiarly.  Madame 
Adelaide  could  not  overcome  her  prejudices  against  Austrian 
princesses,  and  was  wearied  with  the  somewhat  obtrusive  gayety 
of  the  dauphiness.  Madame  Victoire  was  concerned  at  this, 
feeling  that  their  society  and  counsel  would  have  been  highly 
useful  to  a  young  person,  otherwise  likely  to  meet  with  none  but 

*  The  coronation  of  the  French  kings  takes  place  in  Rheims :  so  that 
when  she  should  revisit  that  city,  it  would  most  probably  be  in  conse- 
quence of  the  death  of  her  father-in-law,  Louis  XV. 

f  I  mention  this  collar  thus  particularly,  because  the  Queen  thought 
it  her  duty,  notwithstanding  this  appropriation,  to  give  it  up  to  the 
commission  of  the  National  Assembly,  when  they  came  to  strip  the 
King  and  Queen  of  the  crown  diamonds. 

Note  by  Madame  Campan. 


84  MEMOIRS  OF 

parasites  and  flatterers.  She  endeavoured,  therefore,  to  induce 
her  to  take  pleasure  in  the  society  of  the  Marchioness  de  Dur- 
fort,  her  maid  of  honour  and  favourite.  Several  agreeable 
entertainments  took  place  at  the  house  of  this  lady :  but  the 
Countess  de  Noailles  and  the  Abb6  de  Vermond  soon  opposed 
these  meetings. 

A  circumstance  which  happened  in  hunting  near  the  village 
of  Acheres,  in  the  forest  of  Fontainebleau,  afforded  the  young 
princess  an  opportunity  of  displaying  her  respect  for  old  age, 
and  her  compassion  for  misfortune.  A  very  old  peasant  was 
wounded  by  the  stag ;  the  dauphiness  jumped  out  of  her  calash, 
placed  the  peasant,  with  his  wife  and  children,  in  it,  had  the 
family  taken  back  to  their  cottage,  and  bestowed  upon  them 
every  attention  and  every  necessary  assistance.  Her  heart  was 
always  open  to  the  feelings  of  compassion ;  and,  under  such  cir- 
cumstances, the  recollection  of  her  rank  never  checked  the 
effects  of  her  sensibility.  Several  persons  in  her  service  entered 
her  room,  one  evening,  expecting  to  find  nobody  there  but  the 
officer  in  waiting;  they  perceived  the  young  princess  seated  by 
the  side  of  this  man,  who  was  considerably  in  years ;  she  had 
placed  near  him  a  bowl  full  of  water ;  was  stanching  the  blood 
which  issued  from  a  wound  he  had  received  in  his  hand,  with 
her  handkerchief  which  she  had  torn  up  to  bind  it,  and  was  ful- 
filling- towards  him  all  the  duties  of  a  pious  nun  of  the  order  of 
charity.  The  old  man,  affected  even  to  tears,  out  of  respect 
left  his  august  mistress  to  act  as  she  thought  proper.  He  had 
hurt  himself  in  endeavouring  to  bring  forward  some  rather 
heavy  piece  of  furniture  which  the  princess  had  asked  him  for. 

In  the  month  of  July,  1770,  an  unfortunate  occurrence  that 
took  place  in  a  family  which  the  dauphiness  honoured  with  her 
favour  contributed  again  to  show  not  only  her  sensibility  but  also 
the  justness  of  her  ideas.  One  of  her  women  had  a  son  who 
was  an  officer  in  the  gensdarmes  of  the  guard  j  this  young  man 
thought  himself  affronted  by  a  clerk  in  the  war  department,  and 
imprudently  sent  him  a  formal  challenge  :  he  killed  his  adver- 


MARIE   ANTOINETTE.  85 

sary  in  the  forest  of  Coinpiegne ;  the  family  of  the  young  man 
who  was  killed,  being  in  possession  of  the  challenge,  demanded 
justice.  The  King,  distressed  on  account  of  several  duels  which 
had  recently  taken  place,  had  unfortunately  declared  that  he 
would  show  no  mercy  on  the  first  event  of  that  kind  which  could 
be  proved ;  the  culprit  was  therefore  arrested.  His  mother,  in 
all  the  agitation  of  the  deepest  grief,  hastened  to  throw  herself 
at  the  feet  of  the  dauphiness,  the  dauphin  and  the  young  prin- 
cesses; after  an  hour's  supplication  they  obtained  from  the 
King  the  favour  so  much  desired.  On  the  next  day  a  lady  of 
rank  who  had  certainly  suffered  herself  to  be  prejudiced  against 
the  gen'darme's  mother,  while  congratulating  the  dauphiness, 
had  the  malice  to  add,  that  the  mother  had  neglected  no  means 
of  success  on  the  occasion ;  that  she  had  solicited  not  only  the 
royal  family,  but  even  Madame  du  Barry.  The  dauphiness  re- 
plied, that  the  fact  justified  the  favourable  opinion  she  had 
formed  of  the  worthy  woman ;  that  the  heart  of  a  mother  should 
hesitate  at  nothing  for  the  salvation  of  her  son  ;  and  that  in  her 
place,  if  she  had  thought  it  would  be  serviceable,  she  would  have 
thrown  herself  at  the  feet  of  Zamora.* 

Some  time  after  the  marriage  entertainments,  the  dauphiness 
made  her  entry  into  Paris,  and  was  received  with  transports  of 
joy.  After  dining  in  the  King's  apartment  at  the  Tuileries, 
she  was  forced,  by  the  reiterated  shouts  of  the  multitude,  with 
which  the  garden  was  filled,  to  present  herself  upon  the  balcony 
fronting  the  principal  walk.  On  seeing  such  a  crowd  of  heads 
with  their  eyes  fixed  upon  her,  she  exclaimed,  "  Great  God,  what  a 
concourse  \"  "  Madame,"  said  the  old  Duke  de  Brissac,  gover- 
nor of  Paris,  "  I  may  tell  you,  without  fear  of  offending  the 
dauphin,  that  they  are  so  many  lovers."  j"  The  dauphin  took  no 

*  A  little  Indian,  who  carried  the  Countess  du  Barry's  train.  Louis 
XV.  often  amused  himself  with  the  little  marmoset ;  having  facetiously 
made  him  governor  of  Luciennes,  he  received  an  annual  income  of 
5000  francs. — Note  by  Madame  Campan. 

f  John  Paul  Timoleon  de  Cosse,  Duke  de  Brissac  and  a  Marshal  of 
France,  the  same  who  made  the  noble  reply  cited  in  our  note  at  page 


86  MEMOIRS   OF 

umbrage  at  either  acclamations  or  marks  of  homage  of  which  the 
dauphiness  was  the  object.  The  most  mortifying  indifference,  a 
coldness  which  frequently  degenerated  into  rudeness,  were  the 
sole  feelings  which  the  young  prince  then  manifested  towards 
her.  Not  all  her  charms  could  gain  even  upon  his  senses;  he 
threw  himself,  as  a  matter  of  duty,  upon  the  bed  of  the  dauphi- 
ness, and  often  fell  asleep  without  saying  a  single  word  to  her. 
This  distance,  which  lasted  a  long  time,  was  said  to  be  the  work 
of  the  Duke  de  la  Vauguyon.  The  dauphiness,  in  fact,  had  no 
sincere  friends  at  court,  except  the  Duke  de  Choiseul  and  his 
party.  Will  it  be  credited  that  the  plans  laid  against  Marie 
Antoinette,  went  so  far  as  to  aim  at  a  divorce  ?  I  have  been 
assured  of  it  by  persons  holding  high  situations  at  court,  and 
many  circumstances  tend  to  confirm  the  opinion.  On  the  jour- 
ney to  Fontainebleau,  in  the  year  of  the  marriage,  the  inspectors 
of  public  buildings  were  gained  over  to  manage  so  that  the  apart- 
ment intended  for  the  dauphin,  communicating  with  that  of  the 
dauphiness,  should  not  be  finished ;  and  a  temporary  apartment 
at  the  extremity  of  the  building  was  assigned  to  him.  The 
dauphiness,  aware  that  this  was  the  result  of  intrigue,  had  the 
courage  to  complain  of  it  to  Louis  XV.,  who,  after  severe  repri- 
mands, gave  orders  so  positive,  that  within  the  week  the  apart- 
ment was  ready.  Every  method  was  tried  to  continue  and 
augment  the  indifference  which  the  dauphin  long  manifested  to- 
wards his  youthful  spouse.  She  was  deeply  hurt  at  it,  but  she 
never  suffered  herself  to  utter  the  slightest  complaint  on  the 
subject.  The  dauphin's  indifference  to,  nay,  his  contempt  for 
the  charms  which  she  heard  extolled  on  all  sides,  never  induced 
her  to  break  silence ;  and  occasional  tears,  which  would  invo- 
luntarily burst  from  her  eyes,  were  the  sole  symptoms  of  her 
inward  sufferings,  discoverable  by  those  in  her  service. 

64  of  this  volume.  At  the  courts  of  Louis  XV.  and  XVI.  he  was  a 
model  of  the  virtue,  gallantry,  and  courage  of  the  ancient  knights. 
Count  de  Charolais,  finding  him  one  day  with  his  mistress,  said  to  him 
abruptly,  "Go  out,  sir."  "  My  lord,"  replied  the  Duke  de  Brissac, 
with  emphasis,  "your  ancestors  would  have  said,  'come  out.'  " 

Note  by  the  Editor. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  87 

Once  only,  when  tired  out  with  the  misplaced  remonstrances 
of  an  old  maid  attached  to  her  person,  who  wished  to  dissuade 
her  from  riding  on  horseback,  under  the  impression  that  it  would 
prevent  her  producing  heirs  to  the  crown  :  "  Mademoiselle/'  said 
she,  "  in  God's  name  do  not  teaze  me ;  be  assured  that  I  am 
putting  no  heir  in  danger." 

I  thought  it  my  duty  to  portray,  early  in  these  Memoirs,  the 
obscure,  though  ambitious  man,  who  guided  Marie  Antoinette 
from  her  infancy  down  to  the  fatal  epoch  of  the  revolution. 

I  have  given  the  character  of  the  daupliiness's  maid  of 
honour;  I  have  noticed  some  particulars  of  the  prejudice  of 
Madame  Adelaide,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Louis  XV.,  against  the 
house  of  Austria;  I  have  spoken __  of  the  great  kindness  of  the 
second  princess,  Madame  Victoire,  and  of  her  affection  for  Marie 
Antoinette ;  and  lastly,  I  have  sketched  the  character  of  Madame 
Sophie,  the  King's  third  daughter,  who  did  not  afford  to  her 
niece,  even  to  the  extent  which  her  sisters  did,  the  useful 
resources  of  society. 

The  dauphiness  found  at  the  court  of  Louis  XV.,  besides  the 
three  princesses  the  King's  daughters,  the  princes,  also,  brothers 
of  the  dauphin,  who  were  receiving  their  education;  and  the 
ladies  Clotilde  and  Elizabeth,  still  in  the  care  of  Madame  de 
Marsan,  governess  of  the  children  of  France.  The  eldest  of  the 
two  latter  princesses,  in  1777,  married  the  Prince  of  Piedmont, 
afterwards  king  of  Sardinia.  This  princess  was  in  her  infancy 
so  extremely  fat,  that  the  people  nick-named  her  gros  Madame.* 

*  Madame  Clotilde  of  France,  a  sister  of  the  King,  was  in  fact  ex- 
traordinarily fat  for  her  height  and  age.  One  of  her  play-fellows, 
having  been  indiscreet  enough  even  in  her  presence  to  make  use  of  the 
nick-name  given  to  her,  immediately  received  a  severe  reprimand  from 
the  Countess  de  Marsan,  who  hinted  to  her  that  she  would  do  well  in 
not  making  her  appearance  again  before  the  princess.  Madame  Clo- 
tilde sent  for  her  the  next  day  :  "  My  governess,"  said  she,  "  has  done 
her  duty,  and  I  will  do  mine ;  come  and  see  us  as  usual,  and  think  no 
more  of  a  piece  of  inadvertency,  which  I  myself  have  forgotten." 

This  princess,  so  encumbered  with  body,  possessed  the  most  agreea- 
ble and  playful  wit.  Her  affability  and  prepossessing  grace  rendered 

VOL.  I. — 9 


88  MEMOIRS  OF 

The  second  princess  was  the  pious  Elizabeth,  the  victim  of  her 
respect  and  tender  attachment  for  the  King  her  brother,  and 
whose  exalted  virtues  deserved  a  celestial  crown.*  She  was  still 
Bcarcely  out  of  her  leading-strings  at  the  period  of  the  dauphin's 
marriage.  The  dauphiness  gave  her  a  marked  preference.  The 
governess,  who  sought  to  advance  that  one  of  the  two  princesses, 
to  whom  nature  had  been  least  favourable,  was  offended  at  the 
dauphiness' s  partiality  for  Madame  Elizabeth;  and,  by  her  in- 
judicious complaints,  weakened  the  friendship  which  yet  sub- 
sisted between  M&dame  Clotilde  and  Marie  Antoinette.  There 
even  arose  some  degree  of  rivalship  upon  the  subject  of  educa- 

her  dear  to  all  who  came  near  her.  A  certain  poet,  whose  mind  was 
solely  occupied  with  the  prodigious  size  of  Madame  Clotilde,  when  it 
was  determined  that  she  should  marry  the  Prince  of  Piedmont,  com- 
posed the  following  stanza. 

To  understand  the  humour,  or  rather  the  meaning  of  it,  it  must  be 
remembered  that  two  princesses  of  Savoy  had  just  married  two  French 
princes. 

Though  we've  only  return'd  one  princess  for  the  two, 

Who  from  Piedmont  were  sent  us  of  late  ; 
Yet  surely  no  question  or  wrong  can  ensue, 
Since  the  bargain's  made  up  by  her  weight. 

Note  by  the  Editor. 

*  Elizabeth  Phillipine  Marie  Helene  of  France,  was  born  at  Versailles, 
on  the  3d  of  May,  1764.  "  Madame  Elizabeth,"  says  M.  de  la  Salle, 
the  author  of  a  biographical  article  upon  this  interesting  and  unfortunate 
princess,  "had  not,  like  Madame  Clotilde,  her  sister,  received  from 
nature  that  softness  and  flexibility  of  character  which  renders  the 
practice  of  virtue  easy ;  she  evinced  more  than  one  mark  of  resemblance 
to  the  Duke  of  Burgundy,  the  pupil  of  Fenelon.  Education  and  piety 
operated  upon  her  as  they  did  upon  that  prince :  good  precepts,  and 
the  examples  which  surrounded  her,  adorned  her  with  all  good  quali- 
ties, with  all  virtues,  and  left  her  nothing  of  her  original  inclinations, 
but  amiable  sensibility,  lively  impressions,  and  a  firmness  which  seemed 
formed  to  meet  the  dreadful  trials  for  which  heaven  reserved  her." 

We  shall  have  occasion  more  than  once  in  the  course  of  these  Me- 
moirs, and  the  whole  of  this  collection,  to  observe  her  constant  friend- 
ship, her  affecting  resignation,  her  sublime  self-devotion,  and  her 
angelic  sweetness,  to  the  very  moment  in  which  she  manifested  the 
calm  and  heroic  courage  of  a  martyr. — Note  by  the  Editor. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  89 

tion ;  and  that  which  the  Empress  Maria  Theresa  had  bestowed 
upon  her  daughters,  was  talked  of  openly  and  unfavourably 
enough.  The  Abbe  de  Vermond  thought  himself  affronted,  took 
a  part  in  the  quarrel,  and  added  his  complaints  and  jokes  to  those 
of  the  dauphiness,  upon  the  criticisms  of  the  governess ;  he  even 
indulged  himself,  in  his  turn,  in  reflections  upon  the  tuition  of 
Madame  Clotilde.  Everything  transpires  at  court.  Madame  de 
Marsan  was  informed  of  all  that  had  been  said  in  the  dauphi- 
ness's  circle,  and  was  very  angry  with  her  on  account  of  it.  From 
that  moment,  a  party  of  intrigue,  or  rather  of  gossip,  against 
Marie  Antoinette,  was  established  round  Madame  de  Marsan's 
fireside ;  her  most  trifling  actions  were  there  construed  into  ill ; 
her  gayety,  and  the  harmless  amusements  in  which  she  some- 
times indulged  in  her  own  apartments,  with  the  more  youthful 
ladies  of  her  train,  and  even  with  the  women  in  her  service, 
were  stigmatized  as  criminal.  Prince  Louis  de  Rohan,  sent 
ambassador  to  Vienna  by  this  society,  was  there  the  echo  of 
these  unmerited  comments,  and  entangled  himself  in  a  series  of 
culpable  accusations,  which  he  dignified  with  the  name  of  zeal. 
He  incessantly  represented  the  young  dauphiness  as  alienating 
all  hearts,  by  levities  unsuitable  to  the  dignity  of  the  French 
court.  The  princess  frequently  received  from  the  court  of 
Vienna,  remonstrances,  of  the  origin  of  which  she  could  not 
long  remain  in  ignorance.  From  this  period,  the  aversion  which 
she  never  ceased  to  manifest  for  the  Prince  de  Rohan,  must 
be  dated. 

About  the  same  time  the  dauphiness  gained  information  of  a 
letter  written  by  Prince  Louis  to  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon,  in 
which  the  ambassador  expressed  himself  in  very  unbecoming 
terms  respecting  the  intentions  of  Maria  Theresa,  with  relation 
to  the  partition  of  Poland.  This  letter  of  Prince  Louis  had 
been  read  at  the  Countess  du  Barry's;  the  levity  of  the  ambas- 
sador's correspondence  wounded  the  feelings  and  the  dignity  of 
the  dauphiness  at  Versailles,  while  at  Vienna  the  representa 
tions  which  he  made  to  Maria  Theresa  against  the  young  prin- 


90  MEMOIRS  OF 

cess,  terminated   in   rendering   the   motives   of  his   incessant 
complaints  suspected  by  the  Empress. 

Maria  Theresa,  at  length,  determined  on  sending  her  private 
secretary,  Baron  de  Neni,  to  Versailles,  with  directions  to  observe 
the  conduct  of  the  dauphiness  with  attention,  and  form  a  just 
estimate  of  the  opinion  of  the  court,  and  of  Paris,  with  regard 
to  that  princess.  The  Baron  de  Neni,  after  having  devoted  suf- 
ficient time  and  attention  to  the  subject,  undeceived  his  sove- 
reign as  to  the  exaggerations  of  the  French  ambassador;  and 
the  Empress  had  no  difficulty  in  detecting,  among  the  calumnies 
which  his  effrontery  had  conveyed  to  her,  under  the  specious 
name  of  anxiety  for  her  august  daughter,  proofs  of  the  enmity 
of  a  party  which  had  never  approved  of  the  alliance  of  the  house 
of  Bourbon  with  her  own.* 

*  The  Empress  Maria  Theresa  knew  very  well  which  of  the  persons 
who  composed  the  court  of  Louis  XV.  were  favourable,  and  which  un- 
favourable, to  Marie  Antoinette.  It  is  said,  that  at  the  moment  of 
that  princess's  departure  for  France,  the  Empress  gave  her  the  follow- 
ing note  in  her  own  handwriting : — 

List  of  persons  of  my  acquaintance. 

The  Duke  and  Duchess  de  Choiseul. 

The  Duke  and  Duchess  de  Praslin. 

Hautefort. 

The  Du  Chatelets. 

D'Estre"es. 

D'Aubeterre. 

Count  de  Broglie. 

The  brothers  De  Montazet. 

M.  d'Aumont. 

M.  Gerard. 

M.  Blondel. 

La  Beauvau,  a  nun. 

Her  companion. 

The  Durforts. 

To  this  last  family  you  will  take  every  opportunity  of  showing  grati- 
tude and  attention. 

The  same  to  the  Abbe"  de  Vermond  :  I  have  the  welfare  of  these  per- 
sons at  heart.  My  ambassador  has  orders  to  promote  it.  I  shall  be 
Borry  to  be  the  first  to  violate  my  own  principle,  which  is  to  recommend 


I 

MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  91 

.It  .(M.3  period,  the  dauphiness,  still  unable  to  obtain  any  in- 
fluonee  over  the  heart  of  her  husband,  dreading  Louis  XV. , 
justly  imstrojst.'ng  everything  connected  with  Madame  d'u  Barry 
and  the  Duke  d'.&iguillon,  had  not  deserved  the  slightest  reproach 
as  to  that  sort  of  levity  which  hatred  and  her  misfortunes  after- 
wards construed  itto  crime.  The  Empress,  convinced  of  the 
innocence  of  Marie  Antoinette,  directed  the  Baron  de  Neni  to 
solicit  the  recall  of  the  Prince  de  Rohan,  and  to  inform  the  minis- 
ter for  foreign  affairs  of  all  the  motives  which  made  her  require 
it ;  but  the  hcruse  of  Rohan  interposed  between  its  protege  and 
the  Austrian  $nvoy,  and  an  evasive  answer  merely  was  given. 

It  was  not  until  two  months  after  the  death  of  Louis  XV., 
that  the  court  of  Vienna  obtained  his  recall.  The  avowed 
grounds  for  requiring  it,  were  first,  the  public  gallantries  of 
Prince  Louis  with  women  of  the  court  and  others  of  less  distinc- 
tion; secondly,  his  surliness  and  haughtiness  towards  other 

nobody ;  but  you  and  I  owe  too  much  to  these  persons,  not  to  seek  all 
opportunities  of  being  serviceable  to  them,  if  we  can  do  it  without  too 
much  impegno. 

Consult  with  Mercy.  I  recommend  to  you  in  general  all  the  Lorrains 
in  whatever  you  can  do  for  them."1 

a  Some  details  relative  to  this  list  will  be  found  in  the  Historical  Illustrations 
(letter  D.) 

The  existence  of  this  list  is  not  an  impossibility.  A  curious  fact  related  by  the 
Abbe  Georgel,  in  his  Memoirs,  makes  it  likely:  but  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that 
Georgel,  notwithstanding  his  apparent  moderation,  was  one  of  the  most  dangerous 
enemies  of  Marie  Antoinette.  Of  this  we  warn  the  reader. 

Goorgel,  the  secretary  of  the  French  embassy  in  Austria,  obtained,  by  means  of  a 
mysterious  unknown  person,  as  may  be  observed  in  reading  note  (B),  the  most 
important  secrets  of  the  court  of  Vienna 

"  The  masked  man,"  says  he,  "  one  day  placed  in  my  hands  two  papers  of  secret 
instructions  sent  to  Count  de  Mercy,  for  him  to  give  personally  to  the  Queen.  The 
first  for  the  King's  inspection;  the  second  for  the  Queen  alone.  The  latter  con- 
tained advice  as  to  the  method  to  be  adopted  for  compensating  for  the  King's  inex- 
perience, and  for  profiting  by  the  facility  of  his  character,  to  influence  the  government 
without  appearing  to  interfere  in  it.  The  political  lesson  was  given  to  Marie 
Antoinette  with  much  art ;  she  was  led  to  feel  that  it  wus  the  surest  way  to  render 
herself  beloved  by  the  French,  whose  happiness  she  might  thereby  secure;  and  at 
the  same  time  cement  the  union  of  the  two  houses  of  Austria  and  Bourbon." 

What  Georgel  insinuates  is  obvious,  and  if  the  court  of  Vienna  be  skilful  in  ustruc- 
tion,  so  is  the  abbe,  in  his  hatred. — Note  by  the  Editor. 

9* 


* 

92  MEMOIRS  OF 

foreign  ministers,  which  would  have  had  more  serious  conse- 
quences, especially  with  the  ministers  of  England  and  Denmark, 
if  the  Empress  herself  had  not  interfered ;  thirdly,  his  contempt 
for  religion  in  a  country  where  it  was  particularly  necessary  to 
show  respect  for  it  (he  had  been  seen  frequently  to  dress  him- 
self in  clothes  of  different  colours,  assuming  the  hunting  uni- 
forms of  various  noblemen  whom  he  visited,  with  so  much  pub- 
licity, that  one  day  in  particular,  during  the  FSte  Dieu,  he  and 
all  his  legation  in  green  uniforms,  laced  with  gold,  broke  through 
a  procession  which  impeded  them,  in  order  to  make  their  way  to 
a  hunting  party  at  the  Prince  de  Paar's) ;  and  fourthly,  the  im- 
mense debts  contracted  by  him  and  his  people,  which  were  tar- 
dily and  only  in  part  discharged.* 

The  succeeding  marriages  of  the  Count  de  Provence  and  Count 
d'Artois,  with  two  daughters  of  the  King  of  Sardinia,  increas- 
ing the  number  of  princesses  of  the  same  age  as  Marie  Antoi- 
nette's at  Versailles,  procured  society  for  the  dauphiness  more 
suitable  to  her  age,  and  altered  her  mode  of  life.  A  pair  of 
tolerably  fine  eyes  obtained  for  the  Countess  de  Provence,  upon 
her  arrival  at  Versailles,  the  only  praises  which  could  reasonably 
be  bestowed  upon  her. 

The  Countess  d'Artois,  though  not  deformed,  was  very  small; 
she  had  a  fine  complexion ;  her  face,  tolerably  pleasing,  was  not 
remarkable  for  anything  except  the  extreme  length  of  her  nose. 
But  being  good  and  generous,  she  was  beloved  by  those  about 
her,  and  even  possessed  some  weight,  as  long  as  she  was  the  only 
one  who  had  produced  heirs  to  the  crown."}" 

*  See  (Historical  Illustrations,  letter  E)  the  details  given  by  the  Abbe* 
George!,  secretary  to  the  embassy  to  Vienna,  on  the  recall  of  the  car- 
dinal.— Note  by  the  Editor. 

•}•  "Madame  d'Artois,"  says  a  work  of  that  period,  "has  made  her 
entry  into  Paris.  The  equipages  were  superb,  and  as  tasteful  as  rich  ; 
she  went,  according  to  custom,  to  return  thanks  in  the  church  of  Saint 
Genevieve.  The  princess  possesses  a  highly  interesting  physiognomy, 
and  her  skin  is  extremely  fair.  She  was  beheld  with  that  pleasure 
•which  arises  from  feeling ;  on  her  side  she  appeared  affected  by  the 
applause  lavished  upon  her." — (Secret  Correspondence  of  the  Court.) 

Note  by  the  Editor. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  9S 

From  this  time  the  closest  intimacy  subsisted  between  the 
three  young  families.  They  took  their  meals  together,  except 
only  on  those  days  when  they  dined  in  public.  This  manner  of 
living  en  famine  continued  until  the  Queen  sometimes  indulged 
herself  in  going  to  dine  with  the  Duchess  de  Polignac,  when  she 
was  governess ;  but  the  evening  meetings  at  supper  were  never 
interrupted;  they  took  place  at  the  house  of  the  Countess  de 
Provence.  Madame  Elizabeth  made  one  of  the  party  when  she 
had  finished  her  education,  and  sometimes  mesdames,  the  King's 
aunts,  were  invited.  This  custom,  which  had  no  precedent  at 
court,  was  the  work  of  Marie  Antoinette,  and  she  maintained  it 
with  the  utmost  perseverance. 

The  court  of  Versailles  saw  no  change  in  point  of  etiquette 
during  the  reign  of  Louis  XV.  Play  took  place  at  the  house  of 
the  dauphiness,  as  being  the  first  female  of  the  state.  It  had, 
from  the  death  of  Queen  Maria  Leckzinska  to  the  marriage  of 
the  dauphin,  been  held  at  the  abode  of  Madame  Adelaide.  This 
removal,  the  result  of  an  order  of  precedence  not  to  be  violated, 
was  not  the  less  displeasing  to  Madame  Adelaide,  who  estab- 
lished a  separate  party  for  play  in  her  apartments,  and  scarcely 
ever  went  to  that  which  not  only  the  court  in  general,  but  also 
the  royal  family,  were  expected  to  attend.  The  full-dress  visits 
to  the  King  on  his  debotter  were  still  continued.  High  mass 
was  attended  daily.  The  airings  of  the  princesses  were  nothing 
more  than  rapid  races  in  berlins,  during  which  they  were  accom- 
panied by  body-guards,  gentlemen  ushers,  and  pages  on  horse- 
back. They  generally  gallopped  some  leagues  from  Versailles. 
Calashes  were  used  only  in  hunting. 

The  young  princesses  were  desirous  to  infuse  animation  into 
their  circle  of  associates,  by  something  useful  as  well  as  plea- 
sant. They  agreed  to  learn  and  perform  all  the  best  plays  of 
the  French  theatre ;  the  dauphin  was  the  only  spectator ;  the 
three  princesses,  the  two  brothers  of  the  King,  and  Messrs. 
Campan,  father  and  son,  were  the  sole  performers;  but  they 
made  it  of  the  utmost  importance  to  keep  this  amusement  as 
secret  as  an  affair  of  state  :  they  dreaded  the  censure  of  the 


94  MEMOIRS  OF 

King's  aunts ;  and  they  had  no  doubt  that  Louis  XV.  would 
forbid  such  pastimes,  if  he  knew  of  their  existence.  They 
selected  a  retired  room,  which  nobody  had  occasion  to  enter,  for 
their  performance.  A  kind  of  proscenium,  which  could  be 
taken  down,  and  shut  up  in  a  closet,  formed  the  stage.  The 
Count  de  Provence  always  knew  his  part  provokingly  well ;  the 
Count  d'Artois  knew  his  tolerably  well,  and  recited  elegantly  : 
the  princesses  performed  very  indifferently.  The  dauphiness 
acquitted  herself  in  some  characters  with  discrimination  and 
feeling.  The  chief  pleasure  of  this  amusement  consisted  in 
their  having  all  the  costumes  elegant  and  accurate.  The  dau- 
phin entered  into  the  spirit  of  the  diversions  of  the  young 
family,  laughed  heartily  at  the  comic  characters  as  they  came 
on  the  scene,  and  from  these  amusements  may  be  dated  his  dis- 
continuance of  the  timid  manner  of  his  youth,  and  his  taking 
pleasure  in  the  society  of  the  dauphiness. 

A  wish  to  extend  the  list  of  pieces  for  performance,  and  the 
certainty  that  these  diversions  would  remain  secret,  had  pro- 
cured my  father-in-law  and  my  husband  the  honour  of  figuring 
among  the  princes. 

It  was  not  till  a  long  time  afterwards  that  I  learned  these 
particulars,  M.  Campan  having  kept  the  secret ;  but  an  unfore- 
seen event  had  well  nigh  exposed  the  whole  mystery.  One  day, 
the  Queen  desired  M.  Campan  to  go  down  into  her  closet  to 
fetch  something  that  she  had  forgotten ;  he  was  dressed  for  the 
character  of  Crispin,  and  was  rouged ;  a  private  staircase  led 
direct  to  the  theatre  through  the  dressing-room.  M.  Campan 
fancied  he  heard  some  noise,  and  remained  still  behind  the  door, 
which  was  shut.  A  servant  belonging  to  the  wardrobe,  who 
was,  in  fact,  on  the  staircase,  had  also  heard  some  noise;  and, 
either  from  fear  or  curiosity,  he  suddenly  opened  the  door ;  the 
figure  of  Crispin  frightened  him  so,  that  he  fell  down  back- 
wards, shouting  with  all  his  might,  "  Help !  help !"  My 
father-in-law  raised  him  up,  made  him  recognise  his  voice,  and 
laid  an  injunction  of  silence  as  to  what  he  had  seen,  upon  him. 
He  felt  himself,  however,  bound  to  inform  the  dauphiness  of 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  95 

what  had  happened ;  and  she  was  fearful  that  another  similar 
occurrence  might  betray  their  amusements  :  they  were  therefore 
discontinued. 

The  princess  occupied  her  time  in  her  own  apartment,  in  the 
study  of  music  and  the  parts  in  plays  which  she  had  to  learn; 
the  latter  exercise  at  least  produced  the  beneficial  effect  of 
strengthening  her  memory  and  familiarizing  her  with  the 
French  language. 

The  Abbe  de  Vermond  visited  her  daily,  but  took  care  to 
avoid  the  imposing  tone  of  a  governor ;  and  would  not,  even  as 
reader,  recommend  the  study  of  history.  I  believe  he  never 
read  a  single  volume  of  history  in  his  life  to  his  august  pupil ; 
and,  in  truth,  there  never  existed  a  princess  who  manifested  a 
more  marked  aversion  for  all  serious  study. 

While  Louis  XV.  reigned,  the  enemies  of  Marie  Antoinette 
made  no  attempt  to  change  public  opinion  with  regard  to  her. 
She  was  always  the  object  of  the  wishes  and  love  of  the  French 
people  in  general,  and  particularly  of  the  inhabitants  of  Paris, 
who,  being  deprived  of  the  pleasure  of  possessing  her  within 
their  city,  went,  at  all  opportunities,  to  Versailles — the  majority 
of  them  attracted  solely  by  the  pleasure  of  seeing  her.  The 
courtiers  did  not  fully  enter  into  the  truly  popular  enthusiasm 
which  the  dauphiness  had  inspired :  the  disgrace  of  the  Duke 
de  Choiseul  had  removed  her  real  support  from  her;  and  the 
party  which  had  continued  in  power  since  the  exile  of  that 
minister,  was,  politically,  as  much  opposed  to  her  family  as  to 
herself.  The  dauphiness  was,  therefore,  surrounded  by  enemies 
at  Versailles. 

Nevertheless,  everybody  appeared  outwardly  desirous  to  please 
her :  the  age  of  Louis  XV.,  and  the  character  of  the  dauphin, 
were  sufficient  to  warn  the  long-sighted  sagacity  of  the  courtiers, 
of  the  important  part  reserved  for  the  princess  under  the 
following  reign,  in  case  the  dauphin  should  become  attached 
to  her. 


MEMOIRS  OP 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Death  of  Louis  XV. — Picture  of  the  Court — Madame  Du  Barry  dis- 
missed— Departure  of  the  Court  to  Choisy — M.  de  Maurepas  Minister 
—  Influence  of  Example  upon  the  Courtiers  —  Enthusiasm  raised  by 
the  new  Reign — Mourning  at  La  Muette — The  Queen — The  King  and 
the  Princes,  his  brothers,  are  inoculated — Stay  at  Marly — Calumnies 
against  the  Queen — Boehmer,  the  jeweller  —  Mademoiselle  Bertia  — 
Changes  of  fashion  —  Simplicity  of  the  Court  of  Vienna — Extreme 
temperance,  decorum  and  modesty  of  Marie  Antoinette. 

ABOUT  the  beginning  of  May,  1774,  Louis  XV.,  the  strength 
of  whose  constitution  had  promised  a  protracted  life,  was 
attacked  by  a  confluent  small-pox,  of  the  worst  kind.  The 
King's  daughters,  at  this  juncture,  inspired  the  dauphiness  with 
a  feeling  of  respect  and  attachment,  of  which  she  gave  them 
repeated  proofs  when  she  ascended  the  throne.  In  fact,  nothing 
could  be  more  admirable  or  more  affecting  than  the  courage 
with  which  they  braved  that  most  horrible  disease :  the  air  of 
the  palace  was  infected ;  more  than  fifty  persons  took  the  small- 
pox, in  consequence  of  having  merely  crossed  the  gallery  of 
Versailles;  and  ten  died  of  it. 

The  end  of  the  monarch  was  approaching.  His  reign,  peace- 
ful in  general,  had  preserved  a  degree  of  strength  imparted  to 
it  by  the  power  of  his  predecessor :  on  the  other  hand,  his  own 
weakness  had  been  preparing  misfortunes  for  the  prince  who 
was  to  reign  after  him.  The  scene  was  about  to  change ;  hope, 
ambition,  joy,  grief,  and  all  those  feelings  which  variously 
affected  the  hearts  of  the  courtiers,  sought  in  vain  to  disguise 
themselves  under  a  calm  exterior.  It  was  easy  to  detect  the 
different  motives  which  induced  them  all,  every  moment,  to 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  97 

repeat  the  question,  "  How  is  the  King  ?"  At  length,  on  the 
10th  of  May,  1774,  the  mortal  career  of  Louis  XV.  terminated.* 

The  Countess  du  Barry  had,  a  few  days  previously,  withdrawn 
to  Ruelle,  to  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon's  :  fourteen  or  fifteen  persons 
belonging  to  the  court,  thought  it  their  duty  to  visit  her  there ; 
their  liveries  were  observed ;  and  these  visits  became  for  a  long 
time  grounds  for  dislike.  More  than  six  years  after  the  King's 
death,  one  of  those  persons  being  spoken  of,  in  the  circle  of  the 
royal  family,  I  heard  it  remarked,  "  That  was  one  of  the  fifteen 
Ruelle  carriages." 

The  whole  court  went  to  the  castle ;  the  bull's  eye  was  filled 
with  courtiers,  and  the  whole  palace  with  the  inquisitive.  The 
dauphin  had  settled  that  he  would  leave  it  with  the  royal  family, 
the  moment  the  King  should  breathe  his  last  sigh.  But  upon 
such  an  occasion,  decency  forbade  that  positive  orders  for  de- 
parture should  be  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth.  The  keepers 
of  the  stables,  therefore,  agreed  with  the  people  who  were  in  the 
King's  room,  that  the  latter  should  place  a  lighted  taper  near  a 

*  As  soon  as  Louis  XV.  knew  what  was  his  disorder,  he  despaired 
of  recovery.  "I  do  not  intend,"  said  he,  "that  the  scenes  of  Metz 
should  be  repeated  :"  and  he  ordered  that  Madame  du  Barry  should  be 
sent  away.  But  the  friends  of  the  favourite  had  not  yet  given  up  the 
game.  The  two  parties  which  divided  the  court,  attacked  each  other 
warmly  at  the  foot  of  the  bed  whereon  Louis  XV.  was  extended.  They 
fought,  it  may  be  said,  for  the  last  sighs  and  doubtful  commands  of  a 
dying  man.  Louis  XV.  had  religious  duties  to  perform.  The  moment 
for  them,  which  one  party  was  anxious  to  hasten,  and  the  other  had  an 
interest  in  delaying,  occasioned  the  most  scandalous  scenes.  What  the 
Abbe"  Soulavie  says  on  this  subject,  is  doubtless  not  wholly  true.  For 
instance,  it  is  difficult  to  attribute  to  the  rigid  Christophe  de  Beaumont 
any  other  motives  than  his  strict  principles,  fervent  piety,  and  the  con- 
sciousness of  the  sacred  obligations  which  he  had  to  discharge.  But, 
on  the  other  hand,  all  is  not  false ;  and  it  is  not  to  be  doubted,  that 
Soulavie  has  related  a  considerable  number  of  particulars  correctly, 
when  we  compare  his  narrative,  which  we  give  in  Historical  Illustra- 
tions, letter  (F),  with  the  picture  of  the  same  occurrences,  drawn  by 
Baron  de  Besenval,  in  his  Memoirs. — Note  by  the  Editor. 


98  MEMOIRS  OF 

window,  and  that  at  the  instant  of  the  King's  decease,  one  of  them 
should  extinguish  it. 

The  taper  was  extinguished.  On  this  signal,  the  body-guards, 
pages,  and  equerries,  mounted  on  horseback,  and  all  was  ready 
for  setting  off.  The  dauphin  was  with  the  dauphiness.  They 
were  expecting  together  the  intelligence  of  the  death  of  Louis 
XV.  A  dreadful  noise,  absolutely  like  thunder,  was  heard  in 
the  outer  apartment :  it  was  the  crowd  of  courtiers  who  were 
deserting  the  dead  sovereign's  anti-chamber,  to  come  and  bow  to 
the  new  power  of  Louis  XVI.  This  extraordinary  tumult  in- 
formed Marie  Antoinette  and  her  husband  that  they  were  to 
reign ;  and,  by  a  spontaneous  movement,  which  deeply  affected 
those  around  them,  they  threw  themselves  on  their  knees ;  and 
both  pouring  forth  a  flood  of  tears,  exclaimed,  "  0  God !  guide 
us,  protect  us,  we  are  too  young  to  govern." 

The  Countess  de  Noailles  entered,  and  was  the  first  to  salute 
Marie  Antoinette  as  Queen  of  France.  She  requested  their  ma- 
jesties would  condescend  to  quit  the  inner  apartments  for  the 
grand  saloon,  to  receive  the  princes  and  all  the  great  officers, 
who  were  desirous  to  do  homage  to  their  new  sovereigns.  Marie 
Antoinette  received  these  first  visits  leaning  upon  her  husband, 
her  handkerchief  held  to  her  eyes,  and  in  the  most  affecting 
attitude :  the  carriages  drove  up,  the  guards  and  officers  were 
on  horseback.  The  castle  was  deserted — every  one  hastened  to 
fly  from  a  contagion,  to  brave  which  no  inducement  now  re- 
mained. 

On  leaving  the  chamber  of  Louis  XV.,  the  Duke  de  Ville- 
quier,  first  'gentleman  of  the  bed-chamber,  ordered  M.  Andouillc", 
the  King's  chief  surgeon,  to  open  the  body  and  embalm  it.  The 
chief  surgeon  must  necessarily  have  died  in  consequence.  "  I 
am  ready,"  replied  Andouille ; — "  but  while  I  operate,  you  shall 
hold  the  head  :  your  office  imposes  this  duty  upon  you."  The 
duke  went  off  without  saying  a  word,  and  the  corpse  was  neither 
opened  nor  embalmed.  A  few  under-servants  and  poor  women 
continued  with  the  pestiferous  remains,  and  paid  the  last  duty 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  99 

to  their  master :  the  surgeons  directed  that  spirits  of  wine  should 
be  poured  into  the  coffin. 

The  whole  of  the  Court  set  off  for  Choisy,  at  four  o'clock ; — 
mesdames,  the  King's  aunts,  in  their  private  carriage ;  and  the 
princesses  under  tuition  with  the  Countess  de  Marsan,  and  their 
sub-governesses.  The  King,  the  Queen,  Monsieur  the  King's 
brother,  Madame,  and  the  Count  and  Countess  d'Artois,  went  in 
the  same  carriage.  The  solemn  scene  that  had  just  passed  be- 
fore their  eyes — the  multiplied  ideas  offered  to  their  imagina- 
tions, by  that  which  was  just  opening,  had  naturally  inclined 
them  to  grief  and  reflection  :  but  by  the  Queen's  own  confession, 
this  impression,  little  suited  to  their  time  of  life,  wholly  left 
them  before  they  had  gone  half  of  their  journey  :  a  word,  oddly 
pronounced  by  the  Countess  d'Artois,  occasioned  a  general  burst 
of  laughter — and  from  that  moment  they  dried  their  tears.  The 
intercourse  between  Choisy  and  Paris  became  astonishing  :  never 
was  a  court  seen  in  greater  agitation.  What  influence  will  the 
royal  aunts  have  ? — And  the  Queen  ? — What  fate  is  reserved 
for  the  Countess  du  Barry  ? — Whom  will  the  young  King  choose 
for  his  ministers  ? — All  these  questions  were  answered  in  a  few 
days.  It  was  determined  that  the  King's  youth  required  him  to 
have  a  confidential  person  near  him ;  and  that  there  should  be  a 
prime  minister.  All  eyes  were  turned  upon  Messrs,  de  Machault 
and  De  Maurepas,  both  of  them  much  advanced  in  years.  The 
first  had  retired  to  his  estate,  near  Paris ;  and  the  second  to 
Pont  Chartrain,  to  which  place  he  had  long  been  exiled.  The 
letter  summoning  M.  de  Machault  was  already  written,  when 
Madame  Adelaide  obtained  that  important  appointment  for  M. 
de  Maurepas  in  preference.  The  page  to  whose  care  the  first 
letter  had  been  actually  consigned,  was  recalled.* 

*  This  fact  has  been  doubted :  but  I  can  assure  the  reader,  that 
Louis  XVI.  desired  M.  Campan  to  recall  the  page,  whom  he  found  ready 
to  mount  his  horse,  and  whom  he  desired  to  come  back  again  to  return 
the  letter  to  the  King  himself;  and  that  the  Queeu  said  to  my  father- 
in-law:  "If  the  letter  had  gone,  M.  de  Machault  would  have  been 
VOL.  I. — 10 


100  MEMOlfeS  OF 

The  Duke  d'Aiguillon  had  been  too  openly  known  as  the  pri- 
vate friend  of  the  King's  mistress;  he  was  dismissed.  M.  de 
Vergennes,  at  that  time  ambassador  of  France,  at  Stockholm, 
was  appointed  minister  for  foreign  affairs ;  Count  du  Muy,  the 
intimate  friend  of  the  dauphin  the  father  of  Louis  XVI.,  ob- 
tained the  war  department.  The  Abb6  Terray  in  vain  said,  and 
wrote,  that  he  had  boldly  done  all  possible  injury  to  the  credi- 
tors of  the  state  during  the  reign  of  the  late  King;  that  order 
was  restored  in  the  finances,  and  that  nothing  but  good  remained 
to  be  done;  and  that  the  new  court  was  about  to  enjoy  the 
advantages  of  the  regenerating  part  of  his  plan  of  finance  :  all 
these  reasons,  set  forth  in  five  or  six  memorials,  which  he  sent 
in  succession  to  the  King  and  Queen,  did  not  prevail  to  keep 
him  in  office.  His  talents  were  admitted ;  but  the  odium  which 
his  operations  had  unavoidably  brought  upon  his  character, 
combined  with  the  immorality  of  his  private  life,  forbade  his 
further  stay  at  court :  he  was  succeeded  by  M.  de  Clugny.* 

prime  minister :  for  the  King  •would  never  have  consented  to  write  a 
second  letter,  in  contradiction  of  his  first  intention."  a 

Note  by  Madame  Campan. 

*  We  find  in  a  work  of  the  times,  an  anecdote  upon  the  subject  of  the 
appointment  of  M.  de  Clugny,  which  we  give  without  disputing  it,  though 
without  taking  upon  ourselves  to  vouch  for  its  veracity.  "  Speculators 
imagine  they  perceive  in  M.  de  Clugny's  elevation,  the  dawn  of  success 
for  that  party,  which  is  endeavouring  to  restore  M.  de  Choiseul  to  the 
administration.  It  seems,  however,  that  the  efforts  of  the  party  will  be 

a  If  we  may  credit  a  contemporary  writer,  the  Abbe  de  Radonvilliers  was  not  with- 
out influence  in  this  latter  determination.  The  secret  motives  which  prompted  the 
King's  old  preceptor  may  be  seen  in  Historical  Illustrations,  letter  (G).  Chamfort 
telates  the  following  anecdote  upon  the  subject  of  the  nomination  of  the  Count  de 
Maurepas: — 

"It  is  a  known  fact,  that  the  King's  letter,  sent  to  M.  de  Maurepas,  was  written 
for  M.  de  Machault.  "What  particular  interest  changed  this  disposition  is  known  ; 
but  that  which  is  not  known,  is,  that  M.  de  Maurepas  stole,  as  it  were,  the  place 
which  it  is  supposed  was  offered  to  him.  The  King  wished  only  to  converse  with 
him.  At  the  end  of  the  conversation,  M.  de  Maurepas  said  to  him :  '  I  will  detail  my 
ideas  to-morrow  at  the  council.'  It  is  related,  too,  that  at  this  conversation,  he  said 
to  the  King,  'Your  majesty  then  nrikes  me  prime  minister?'  'No,'  replied  the  King, 
•I  have  no  such  intention.1  'I  understand,'  said  M.  de  Maurepas;  'your  majesty 
wisher  I  should  teach  you  to  do  without  one.'  " — Note  by  the  Editor. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  101 

De  Maupeou,  the  chancellor,  was  banished ;  this  gave  universal 
satisfaction;  lastly,  the  reassembling  of  the  parliaments  pro- 
duced the  strongest  sensation  :  Paris  was  in  a  delirium  of  joy, 
and  not  more  than  one  person  in  a  hundred  foresaw,  that  the 
spirit  of  the  ancient  magistracy  would  be  still  the  same ;  and 
that  in  a  short  time  it  would  make  new  attempts  upon  the  royal 
authority.  Madame  du  Barry  had  been  ordered  to  retire  to 
Pont-aux-dames.  This  was  a  measure  rather  of  necessity,  than 
of  severity  :  a  short  period  of  compulsory  retreat  was  requisite, 
in  order  to  break  off  her  connection  with  state  affairs  com- 
pletely. 

The  possession  of  Luciennes,  and  a  considerable  pension,  were 
continued  to  her.*  Everybody  expected  the  recall  of  M.  de 

unavailing.  M.  de  Maurepas,  "who  is  informed  of  all  that  passes,  has 
concerted  with  the  King,  a  plan  for  discovering  the  mainspring  of  the 
intrigue  carrying  on  for  the  purpose  of  effecting  his  downfall.  He 
went  to  Pont  Chartrain,  after  forewarning  the  monarch  of  all  the  steps 
towards  that  object,  which  might  be  taken  in  his  absence.  Twice  a 
day  did  the  Mentor  receive  a  courier  from  his  master,  who  informed 
him  of  all  that  was  done  and  said  with  the  intention  before  alluded  to. 
One  day  the  King  apprised  him,  that  an  English  newspaper  had  been 
brought  to  him,  in  which  it  was  said,  that  if  the  Duke  de  Choiseul  were 
named  prime  minister,  as  it  appeared  he  would  be,  France  would  be- 
come more  powerful  alone,  than  all  the  powers  of  Europe  combined. 
On  the  day  of  M.  de  Maurepas's  return,  the  King  said  before  the  whole 
court,  '  I  understand  that  M.  de  Choiseul  is  in  Paris ;  why  is  he  not  at 
Chanteloup  ?  For  any  man  who  is  fortunate  enough  to  possess  an  estate, 
this  is  the  season  for  enjoying  it.'  All  the  duke's  friends  were  dumb, 
and  the  next  day  he  himself  left  Paris."  (Secret  Correspondence  of  the 
Court,  v.  3,  p.  10).— Note  by  the  Editor. 

*  The  Countess  du  Barry  never  forgot  the  mild  treatment  she  experi- 
enced from  the  court  of  Louis  XVI. ;  during  the  most  violent  convul- 
sion of  the  revolution,  she  signified  to  the  Queen  that  there  was  not  in 
all  France  a  female  more  grieved  at  the  sufferings  of  her  sovereign, 
than  herself;  that  the  honour  she  had  for  years  enjoyed,  of  living  near 
the  throne,  and  the  unbounded  kindness  of  the  King  and  Queen,  had 
so  sincerely  attached  her  to  the  cause  of  royalty,  that  she  entreated 
the  Queen  to  honour  her  by  disposing  of  all  she  possessed.  Though 
they  did  not  accept  her  offer,  their  majesties  were  affected  at  her  gra- 


102  MEMOIRS  OF 

Choiseul;  the  regret  occasioned  by  his  absence  among  the 
numerous  friends  whom  he  had  left  at  court,  the  attachment  of 
a  youttg  princess,  who  was  indebted  to  him  for  her  elevation  to 
the  throne  of  France,  and  all  concurring  circumstances,  seemed 
to  foretell  his  return  :  the  Queen  entreated  it  of  the  King  with 
the  liveliest  importunities,  but  she  met  with  an  insurmountable 
obstacle,  and  one  which  she  had  not  foreseen.  The  King,  it  is 
said,  had  imbibed  the  strongest  prejudices  against  that  minis- 
ter,* from  secret  memoirs  penned  by  his  father,  and  which  had 
been  committed  to  the  care  of  the  Duke  de  la  Vauguyon,  with 
an  injunction  to  place  them  in  his  hands  as  soon  as  he  should 
be  old  enough  to  study  the  art  of  governing. f  It  was  by  these 
memoirs,  that  the  esteem  which  he  had  conceived  for  Marshal 
du  Muy  was  inspired,  and  we  may  add  that  Madame  Adelaide, 
who  at  this  early  period  possessed  a  powerful  influence  over  the 
decisions  of  the  young  monarch,  confirmed  the  impressions 
they  had  made. 

titude.  The  Countess  du  Barry  was,  as  is  well  known,  one  of  the 
victims  of  the  revolution.  She  betrayed  the  lowest  degree  of  weakness, 
and  the  most  ardent  desire  to  live.  She  was  the  only  woman  who  wept 
upon  the  scaffold  and  implored  for  mercy.  Her  beauty  and  tears  made 
an  impression  on  the  populace,  and  the  execution  was  hurried  to  a 
conclusion. — Note  by  Madame  Campan. 

*  These  prejudices  did  not  arise  from  the  pretended  crime,  of  which 
slander  had  accused  this  minister ;  but  principally  from  the  suppression 
of  the  Jesuits,  in  which  he  had  in  fact  taken  an  active  part. 

Note  by  Madame  Campan. 

t  It  would  be  difficult  to  raise  a  doubt  about  the  existence  of  these 
memoirs,  or  rather  these  instructions,  drawn  up  by  the  dauphin  for  the 
guidance  of  his  children.  That  prince  was  surrounded  by  men,  whose 
character  he  had  studied,  whose  principles  he  approved,  and  whose 
attachment  he  had  ascertained:  it  appears  natural  in  him  to  have 
recommended  them  to  his  successor.  One  writer  asserts,  that  he  had 
the  list  of  them  in  his  possession.  We  give  it  with  the  notes  accompany- 
ing it,  and  which  will  probably  be  received  as  true,  when  read  with 
a  recollection  of  the  progress  made  by  several  of  the  persons  to  whom 
they  relate,  in  the  confidence,  and  at  the  court  of  Louis  XVI.  See 
Historical  Illustrations,  under  letter  (H). — Note  by  the  Editor. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  108 

The  Queen  conversed  with  M.  Campan  on  the  regret  she  felt 
at  having  been  unable  to  contribute  to  the  recall  of  JML  de 
Choiseul,  and  disclosed  the  cause  of  it  to  him.  The  Abbe  de 
Vermond,  who,  down  to  the  time  of  the  death  of  Louis  XV., 
had  been  on  terms  of  the  strictest  friendship  with  M.  Campan, 
called  upon  him  on  the  second  day  after  the  arrival  of  the  court 
at  Choisy,  and  assuming  a  serious  and  austere  air,  said :  "  Sir, 
the  Queen  was  indiscreet  enough  yesterday,  to  speak  to  you  of 
a  minister  to  whom  she  must  of  course  be  attached,  and  whom 
his  friends  ardently  desire  to  have  near  her;  you  are  aware 
that  we  must  give  up  all  expectation  of  seeing  the  duke  at 
court;  you  know  the  reasons  why;  but  you  do  not  know  that 
the  young  Queen,  having  mentioned  the  conversation  in  question 
to  me,  it  was  my  duty,  both  as  her  preceptor  and  her  friend, 
to  remonstrate  most  sharply  with  her,  on  her  indiscretion  in 
communicating  to  you  those  particulars  of  which  you  are  in 
possession.  I  am  now  come  to  tell  you,  that  if  you  continue 
to  avail  yourself  of  the  good-nature  of  your  mistress,  to  intrude 
yourself  into  secrets  of  state,  you  will  have  me  for  your  most 
determined  enemy.  The  Queen  ought  to  have  no  other  confi- 
dant than  myself  here,  respecting  things  that  ought  to  remain 
secret."*  M.  Campan  answered,  that  he  did  not  covet  the 
important  and  dangerous  character  at  the  new  court,  which  the 
abbe  appropriated  to  himself;  and  that  he  should  confine  himself 
to  the  duties  of  his  office,  being  so  satisfied  with  the  continued 
kindness  with  which  the  Queen  honoured  him,  as  to  desire 
nothing  more.  Notwithstanding  this,  however,  he  informed  the 
Queen,  on  the  very  same  evening,  of  the  injunction  he  had 
received.  She  owned  that  she  had  mentioned  their  conversation 
to  the  abbe";  that  he  had  indeed  seriously  reproved  her,  in 
order  to  make  her  feel  the  necessity  of  being  secret  in  concerns 
of  business ;  and  she  added :  "  The  abbe  cannot  like  you,  my 

*  The  Abbe"  de  Vermond  was  not  blameable  for  preventing  the  Queen's 
talking  to  one  of  the  officers  of  her  household  about  matters  of  import- 
ance ;  but  he  was  so,  for  saying  that  he  himself  ought  to  be  the  deposi- 
tary of  the  most  momentous  secrets. — Note  by  Madame  Campan. 

10* 


104  MEMOIRS  OF 

dear  Campan  ;  he  did  not  expect  that  I  should,  on  my  arrival  in 
France,  find  in  my  household  a  man  who  would  suit  me  so 
exactly  as  you  have  done.*  I  know  that  he  has  taken  umbrage 
at  it ;  that  is  enough :  I  know,  too,  that  you  are  incapable  of 
attempting  anything  to  injure  him  in  my  esteem;  an  attempt 
which  would,  besides,  be  vain,  for  I  have  been  too  long  attached 
to  him.  As  to  yourself,  be  tranquil  with  regard  to  the  abbe's 
hostility,  which  shall  never  in  any  way  hurt  you.  We  run  no 
risk  of  doing  unjust  actions,  except  when  the  persons  about  us 
possess  the  treacherous  art  of  disguising  the  motives  of  hatred 
or  ambition  by  which  they  are  prompted." 

The  Abbe  de  Vermond  having  secured  himself  the  office  of 
sole  confidant  to  the  Queen,  was  nevertheless  agitated  whenever 
he  saw  the  young  monarch.  The  latter  could  not  be  ignorant, 
that  the  abbe  had  been  promoted  by  the  Duke  de  Choiseul,  and 
was  believed  to  favour  the  encyclopedists,  against  whom  Louis 

*  The  Abbe"  de  Vermond  "was  indeed  not  aware  that  the  young  prin- 
cess would  find  in  her  household  a  well  informed  man,  capable  of  amus- 
ing her,  by  interesting  and  lively  anecdotes  of  the  courts  of  Louis  XV., 
the  regent,  and  even  of  Louis  XIV.  The  abb6  had  taken  pains  at 
Vienna,  to  prepossess  the  dauphiness  against  M.  Moreau,  an  aged  ad- 
vocate in  the  councils,  and  historiographer  of  France,  whose  talents 
had  promoted  him  to  the  office  of  librarian  to  her.  On  the  day  after 
the  arrival  of  the  dauphiness  at  Versailles,  the  Countess  de  Noailles 
asked  her  what  orders  she  had  to  give  for  M.  Morcau.  She  replied, 
that  the  only  order  she  had  for  him  was  to  give  up  the  key  of  her 
library  to  M.  Campan,  whom  she  installed  into  his  office  ;  adding  that 
he  might  retain  the  title  which  the  King  had  conferred  upon  him,  but 
that  she  did  not  accept  of  his  services.  Her  dame  d'honneur  exclaimed 
against  this  determination,  and  spoke  very  highly  of  M.  Moreau's  talents ; 
but  the  princess  was  so  prejudiced  against  him  that  she  insisted  upon 
the  execution  of  her  order,  and  added  that  she  would  speak  to  the  King 
about  the  matter ;  that  she  knew  M.  Moreau's  abilities  to  be  almost  too 
considerable,  and  that  she  desired  to  have  no  people  about  her,  but 
those  on  whom  she  could  rely.  The  historiographer  and  librarian 
never  more  appeared  before  the  Queen.  It  is  probable  that  the  dau- 
phiness had  been  informed  of  the  connection  of  M.  Moreau  with  the 
Duke  d'Aiguillon,  and  some  members  of  that  minister's  party. 

Note  by  Madame  Campan, 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  105 

XVI.  entertained  a  latent  prejudice,  although  he  suffered  them 
to  gain  so  great  an  ascendancy  during  his  reign.  The  abbe 
therefore  guessed  that  he  could  not  stand  very  well  with  the 
King.  He  had  moreover  observed,  that  never,  while  dauphin, 
had  that  prince  addressed  a  single  word  to  him ;  and  that  he 
very  frequently  answered  him  with  a  shrug  of  the  shoulders. 
He  therefore  determined  on  writing  to  Louis  XVI.,  and  inti- 
mated that  he  owed  his  situation  at  court  solely  to  the  confidence 
with  which  the  late  King  had  honoured  him  ;  and  that  habits 
contracted  during  the  Queen's  education  placing  him  continually 
in  the  closest  intimacy  with  her,  he  could  not  enjoy  the  honour 
of  remaining  near  her  majesty,  without  the  King's  consent. 
Louis  XVI.  sent  back  his  letter,  after  writing  upon  it  these 
words :  "  I  permit  the  Abbe  de  Vermond  to  continue  his  office 
about  the  Queen." 

Although,  at  the  period  of  his  grandfather's  death,  Louis 
XVI.  had  not  availed  himself  of  his  marital  privilege,  he  began 
to  be  exceedingly  attached  to  the  Queen.  The  first  period  of  so 
deep  a  mourning  not  admitting  of  indulgence  in  the  diversion 
of  hunting,  he  proposed  to  her  walks  in  the  gardens  of  Choisy : 
they  went  out  like  man  and  wife,  the  young  King  giving  his 
arm  to  the  Queen,  and  accompanied  by  a  very  small  suite.  The 
influence  of  this  example  had  such  an  effect  upon  the  courtiers, 
that  the  next  day  several  couples,  who  had  long,  and  for  good 
reasons,  been  disunited,  were,  to  the  amusement  of  the  whole 
court,  seen  walking  upon  the  terrace  with  the  same  apparent 
conjugal  intimacy.  Thus  they  spent  whole  hours,  braving  the 
intolerable  wearisomcness  of  their  protracted  t&e-a-t&tcs,  out  of 
mere  obsequiousness. 

The  self-devotion  of  mesdames  for  the  King  their  father, 
throughout  his  dreadful  malady,  had  produced  that  effect  upon 
their  health,  which  was  generally  apprehended.  On  the  fourth 
day  after  their  arrival  at  Choisy,  the  three  princesses  were 
attacked  by  pains  in  the  head  and  chest,  which  left  no  doubt  as 
to  the  danger  of  their  situation.  It  became  necessary  instantly 
to  send  away  the  young  royal  family;  and  the  Chateau  de  la 


106  MEMOIRS  OF 

Muette,  in  the  JBois  de  Boulogne,  was  selected  for  their  reception. 
Their  arrival  at  their  residence,  which  was  very  near  Paris,  drew 
so  great  a  concourse  of  people  into  its  neighbourhood,  that  even 
at  daybreak  the  crowd  had  begun  to  assemble  round  the  gates. 
Shouts  of  Vive  le  Roi!  continued  with  scarcely  a  moment's  in- 
terruption from  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  sunset.  The 
hopes  to  which  a  new  reign  gives  birth,  and  the  unpopularity  which 
the  late  King  had  drawn  upon  himself,  during  his  latter  years, 
occasioned  all  these  transports  of  joy. 

A  fashionable  jeweller  made  a  fortune  by  the  sale  of  mourn- 
ing snuff-boxes,  whereon  the  portrait  of  the  young  Queen,  in  a 
black  frame  of  shagreen,  admitted  of  the  following  pun  :  "  Com- 
fort in  chagrin."  All  the  fashions,  and  every  part  of  dress, 
received  names  significant  of  the  spirit  of  the  moment.  The 
symbols  of  abundance  were  everywhere  represented,  and  the 
head-dresses  of  the  ladies  were  surrounded  by  ears  of  wheat. 
Poets  hailed  the  new  monarch ;  all  hearts,  or  rather  all  heads  in 
France,  were  filled  with  unexampled  enthusiasm.  Never  did  the 
commencement  of  any  reign  excite  more  unanimous  testimonials 
of  love  and  attachment.  It  must  be  observed,  however,  that 
amidst  all  this  intoxication,  the  Anti- Austrian  party  never  lost 
eight  of  the  young  Queen,  but,  with  the  malicious  desire  to  in- 
jure her,  watched  for  such  errors  as  might  be  expected  to  arise 
out  of  her  youth  and  inexperience. 

Their  majesties  had  to  receive,  at  La  Muette,  the  mourning 
visits  of  the  ladies  who  had  been  presented  at  court,  who  all  felt 
themselves  called  on  to  pay  homage  to  the  new  sovereigns.  Old 
and  young  hastened  to  present  themselves  on  the  day  of  gene- 
ral reception.  Little  black  bonnets  with  great  wings,  old  shaking 
heads,  low  curtesies,  keeping  time  with  the  motions  of  the  head, 
made,  it  must  be  admitted,  a  few  venerable  dowagers  appear 
somewhat  ridiculous;  but  the  Queen,  who  possessed  much 
dignity,  and  a  high  respect  for  propriety,  was  not  guilty  of  the 
grievous  sin  of  forgetting  the  decorum  she  was  bound  to  observe. 
An  indiscreet  piece  of  drollery  of  one  of  the  ladies  of  the  palace, 
however,  drew  on  her  the  imputation  of  having  done  so,  The 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  107 

Marchioness  de  Clermont-Tonnerre,  whose  office  required  that 
she  should  continue  standing  behind  the  Queen,  fatigued  by  the 
length  of  the  ceremony,  found  it  more  convenient  to  seat  her- 
self upon  the  floor,  concealing  herself  behind  the  fence  formed 
by  the  hoops  of  the  Queen  and  the  ladies  of  the  palace.  Thus 
seated,  and  wishing  to  attract  attention  and  to  appear  lively,  she 
twitched  the  dresses  of  those  ladies,  and  played  off  a  thousand 
other  tricks.  The  contrast  of  these  childish  pranks  with  the 
gloom  which  reigned  over  the  rest  of  the  Queen's  chamber,  dis- 
concerted her  majesty  several  times  :  she  placed  her  fan  before 
her  face  to  hide  an  involuntary  smile,  and  the  areopagus  of  old 
ladies  pronounced  that  the  young  Queen  had  derided  all  the 
respectable  persons  who  were  pressing  forward  to  pay  their 
homage  to  her ;  that  she  liked  none  but  the  young :  that  she 
was  deficient  in  every  point  of  decorum ;  and  that  not  one  of 
them  would  attend  her  court  again.  The  epithet  moqueuse  was 
applied  to  her;  and  there  is  not  an  epithet  less  favourably 
received  in  the  world. 

The  next  day,  a  very  ill-natured  song  was  circulated ;  the  seal 
of  the  party  to  which  it  was  attributable,  might  easily  be  seen 
upon  it.  I  remember  none  of  it  but  the  following  chorus  : — 

"  Little  Queen,  you  must  not  be 

So  saucy  with  your  twenty  years ; 
Your  ill-used  courtiers  soon  will  see 
You  pass,  once  more,  the  barriers." 

The  errors  of  the  great,  or  those  which  ill-nature  chooses  to 
impute  to  them,  circulate  in  the  world  with  the  greatest  rapidity, 
and  become  fixed  there  like  an  historical  tradition,  which  the 
meanest  boor  delights  to  repeat.  More  than  fifteen  years  after 
this  occurrence,  I  heard  some  old  ladies  in  the  most  retired  part 
of  Auvergne,  relating  all  the  particulars  of  the  day  of  public 
condolence  for  the  late  King,  on  which,  as  they  said,  the  Queen 
had  laughed  in  the  faces  of  the  duchesses  and  sexagenary  prin- 
cesses, who  had  thought  it  their  duty  to  make  their  appearance 
on  the  occasion. 

The  King  and  the  princes,  his  brothers,  determined  to  avail 


108  MEMOIRS  OF 

themselves  of  the  advantages  held  out  by  inoculation,  in  order 
to  preserve  themselves  from  the  fatal  disorder  under  which  their 
grandfather  had  just  fallen ;  but  the  utility  of  this  new  dis- 
covery not  being  then  generally  acknowledged  in  France,  many 
persons  in  Paris  were  greatly  alarmed  at  the  step  which  the 
King  and  the  princes  had  just  taken;  those  who  blamed  it 
openly,  threw  all  the  responsibility  of  it  upon  the  Queen,  who 
alone,  they  said,  could  have  ventured  to  give  such  rash  advice. 
Inoculation  was  at  this  time  safely  practised  in  the  northern 
courts,  and  the  operation  upon  the  King  and  his  brothers, 
performed  by  Doctor  Jauberthou,  was  fortunately  quite  suc- 
cessful. 

"When  the  convalescence  of  the  princes  was  perfectly  established, 
ihe  court  became  tolerably  cheerful.  In  the  excursions  to 
Marly,  parties  on  horseback,  and  in  calashes,  were  formed  con- 
tinually. The  Queen  was  desirous  to  gratify  herself  with  one 
very  innocent  enjoyment;  she  had  never  witnessed  the  dawn 
of  day  :  and  having  now  no  other  consent  than  that  of  the  king, 
to  seek,  she  intimated  her  wish  to  him.  He  agreed  that  she 
should  go  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  to  the  eminences  of 
the  gardens  of  Marly ;  and  being  unfortunately  little  disposed  to 
share  in  her  amusements,  he  himself  went  to  bed.  The  Queen 
then  carried  her  intention  into  effect;  but  as  she  foresaw  the 
possibility  of  some  inconveniences  in  this  nocturnal  party,  she 
determined  on  having  a  number  of  people  with  her;  and  even 
ordered  her  women  to  accompany  her.  All  precautions  were 
ineffectual,  to  prevent  the  effects  of  calumny,  which  even  thus 
early  sought  to  diminish  the  general  attachment  that  she  had 
inspired.  A  few  days  afterwards,  the  most  wicked  ballad  that 
appeared,  during  the  earlier  years  of  this  reign,  was  circulated 
at  Paris.  The  blackest  colours  were  employed  to  paint  an  en- 
joyment so  harmless,  that  there  is  scarcely  a  young  woman  in 
the  country,  who  has  not  endeavoured  to  procure  it  for  herself. 
The  verses  which  appeared  on  this  occasion,  were  entitled  "Sun. 
Rise."* 

*  It  was  thus,  with  libels  and  ballads,  that  the  enemies  of  Marie 


MARIE   ANTOINETTE.  109 

The  Duke  d' Orleans,  then  Duke  de  Chartres,  was  among  those 
who  accompanied  the  young  Queen  in  her  nocturnal  ramble  :  he 
appeared  very  attentive  to  her  on  that  occasion ;  but  it  was  the 
only  moment  of  his  life  in  which  there  was  any  advance  towards 
intimacy  between  the  Queen  and  himself.  The  King  disliked 
the  character  of  the  Duke  de  Chartres,  and  the  Queen  always 
kept  him  at  a  distance  from  her  private  society.  It  is,  there- 
fore, without  the  slightest  foundation  in  probability,  that  some 
writers  have  attributed  to  feelings  of  jealousy,  or  wounded  self- 
love,  the  hatred  which  he  displayed  towards  the  Queen,  during 
the  latter  years  of  their  existence. 

It  was  on  the  first  journey  to  Marly,  that  Boehmer,  the  jewel- 
ler, appeared  at  court ;  a  man  whose  stupidity  and  avarice  after- 
wards produced  the  occurrence  which  most  fatally  affected  the 
happiness  and  reputation  of  Marie  Antoinette.  This  person  had, 
at  great  expense,  collected  six  pear-formed  diamonds,  of  a  pro- 
digious size ;  they  were  perfectly  matched  and  of  the  finest  water. 
The  ear-rings  which  they  composed,  had,  before  the  death  of 
Louis  XV.,  been  destined  for  the  Countess  du  Barry. 

Boehmer,  by  the  recommendation  of  several  persons  about  the 
court,  came  to  offer  these  jewels  to  the  Queen :  he  asked  four 
hundred  thousand  francs  for  them :  the  young  princess  could 
not  withstand  her  wish  to  purchase  them ;  and  the  King  having 
just  raised  the  Queen's  income,  which  under  the  former  reign 
had  been  but  two  hundred  thousand  livres,  to  one  hundred  thou- 
sand crowns  a  year,  she  wished  to  make  the  purchase  out  of  her 
own  purse,  and  not  burthen  the  royal  treasury  with  payment  for 
a  matter  of  pure  fancy  :  she  proposed  to  Brehmer  to  take  off  the 

two  buttons  which  formed  the  tops  of  the  clusters,  as  they  could 

t 

Antoinette  hailed  the  first  days  of  her  reign.  They  exerted  themselves 
eveiy  way  to  render  her  unpopular.  Their  aim  was,  beyond  all  doubt, 
to  have  her  sent  back  to  Germany ;  and  there  was  not  a  moment  to  be 
lost  in  its  accomplishment.  That  the  indifference  of  the  Bang  towards 
his  amiable  and  beautiful  wife  had  lasted  so  long,  was  already  a  mat- 
ter of  wonder  ;  day  after  day  it  was  to  be  expected  that  the  seductive 
charms  of  Marie  Antoinette  would  undo  all  their  machinations. 

Note  by  Madame  Campan. 


110  MEMOIRS  OP 

be  replaced  by  two  of  her  own  diamonds.  He  consented, 
then  reduced  the  price  of  the  ear-rings  to  three  hundred  and 
sixty  thousand  francs ;  the  payment  for  which  was  stipulated  to 
be  made  by  instalments,  and  was  discharged,  in  the  course  of 
four  or  five  years,  by  the  Queen's  first  femme  de  chambre, 
intrusted  with  her  privy  purse.  I  have  omitted  no  particulars 
of  the  manner  in  which  the  Queen  first  became  possessed  of 
these  jewels,  deeming  them  very  necessary  to  place  the  too-fa- 
mous circumstance  of  the  necklace,  which  happened  near  the 
end  of  the  reign  of  Marie  Antoinette,  in  its  true  light.  It  was 
likewise  on  this  first  journey  to  Marly,  that  the  Duchess  de 
Chartres,  afterwards  Duchess  d' Orleans,  introduced  into  the 
Queen's  household,  Mademoiselle  Bertin,  a  milliner  who  became 
celebrated  at  that  time  for  the  total  change  which  she  effected  in 
the  dress  of  the  French  ladies. 

It  will  be  seen,  that  the  admission  of  a  milliner  into  the  house 
of  the  Queen,  was  followed  by  evil  consequences  to  her  majesty. 
The  skill  of  the  milliner,  who  was  received  into  the  household, 
in  spite  of  the  usual  custom  which  kept  all  persons  of  her  de- 
scription out  of  it,  afforded  her  the  means  of  introducing  some 
new  fashion  every  day.  Up  to  this  time,  the  Queen  had  shown 
but  a  very  plain  taste  in  dress ;  she  now  began  to  make  it  an 
occupation  of  moment ;  and  she  was  of  course  imitated  by  other 
women. 

Every  one  instantly  wished  to  have  the  same  dress  as  the 
Queen,  and  to  wear  the  feathers  and  flowers  to  which  her 
beauty,  then  in  its  brilliancy,  lent  an  indescribable  charm.  The 
expenditure  of  young  women  was  necessarily  much  increased  ; 
mothers  and  husbands  murmured  at  it ;  some  giddy  women  con- 
tracted debts ;  unpleasant  domestic  scenes  occurred ;  in  many 
families  quarrels  arose ;  in  another  affection  was  extinguished ; 
and  the  general  report  was  —  that  the  Queen  would  be  the  ruin 
of  all  the  French  ladies. 

Fashion  continued  its  fluctuating  progress ;  and  head-dresses, 
with  their  superstructures  of  gauze,  flowers,  and  feathers,  arose 
to  such  a  degree  of  loftiness,  that  the  women  could  not  find  car- 


MARIE   ANTOINETTE.  Ill 

riages  high  enough  to  ^admit  them ;  and  they  were  often  seen 
either  stooping,  or  holding  their  heads  out  at  the  windows. 
Others  knelt  down  in  order  to  manage  these  elevated  objects  of 
ridicule  with  the  less  danger.*  Innumerable  caricatures,  exhi- 
bited in  all  directions,  and  some  of  which  artfully  gave  the  fea- 
tures of  the  Queen,  attacked  the  extravagance  of  fashion,  but 
with  very  little  effect.  It  changed  only,  as  is  always  the  case, 
through  the  influence  of  inconstancy  and  time. 

The  princess's  toilette  was  a  masterpiece  of  etiquette ;  every- 
thing done  on  the  occasion,  was  in  a  prescribed  form.  Both  the 
lady  of  honour  and  the  tire-woman  usually  attended  and  offici- 
ated, assisted  by  the  first  femme  de  chambre,  and  two  inferior 
attendants,  f  The  tire-woman  put  on  the  petticoat,  and  handed 
the  gown  to  the  Queen.  The  lady  of  honour  poured  out  the 
water  for  her  hands,  and  put  on  her  body  linen.  When  a  prin- 

*  If  the  use  of  these  extravagant,  feathers  and  head-dresses  had  con- 
tinued, say  the  Memoirs  of  that  period  very  seriously,  it  would  have 
effected  a  revolution  in  architecture.  It  would  have  been  found  neces- 
sary to  raise  the  doors  and  ceilings  of  the  boxes  at  the  theatres,  and 
particularly  the  bodies  of  carriages.  It  was  not  without  mortification 
that  the  King  observed  the  Queen's  adoption  of  this  style  of  dress  ;  she 
never  was  so  lovely  in  his  eyes,  as  when  unadorned  by  art.  One  day, 
Carlin,  performing  at  court,  before  the  princess,  as  Harlequin,  stuck 
in  his  hat,  instead  of  the  rabbit's  tail,  its  prescribed  ornament,  a  pea- 
cock's feather  of  excessive  length.  This  new  appendage,  which  repeat- 
edly got  entangled  among  the  scenei'y,  gave  him  an  opportunity  of  ven- 
turing a  great  deal  of  buffoonerjr.  There  was  an  inclination  to  punish 
him :  but  it  was  presumed  that  he  had  not  assumed  the  feather  without 
authority. — Note  by  the  Editor. 

•j-  The  distinction  between  the  honorary  service,  and  the  ordinary 
service,  is  easily  drawn.  "I  have  the  right  to  do  it,"  says  honorary 
service  haughtily.  "  You  must  do  it,  you  must  follow,"  surlily  answers 
ordinary  service.  Between  these  ridiculous  and  contradictory  airs,  of 
people  who  have  the  right  to  act,  and  do  not  act,  and  people  whose 
duty  it  is  to  act,  and  who  stilt  will  not  act,  the  great  are  likely  to  be 
very  ill  served.  Madame  Campan  has  taken  pains  to  collect  particulars 
relative  to  the  ordinary  service  of  the  Queen  of  France.  They  will  be 
found  among  the  Historical  Illustrations,  given  by  Madame  Campan 
(No.  1). — Note  by  the  Editor. 

VOL.  I. 11 


112  MEMOIRS  OF 

cess  of  the  royal  family  happened  to  be  present  while  the  Queen 
was  dressing,  the  lady  of  honour  yielded  to  her  the  latter  act  of 
office,  but  still  did  not  yield  it  directly  to  the  princess  of  the 
blood;  in  such  a  case,  the  lady  of  honour  was  accustomed  to 
present  the  linen  to  the  chief  lady  in  waiting,  who,  in  her  turn, 
handed  it  to  the  princess  of  the  blood.  Each  of  these  ladies 
observed  these  rules  scrupulously,  as  affecting  her  rights.  One 
winter's  day  it  happened  that  the  Queen,  who  was  entirely 
undressed,  was  just  going  to  put  on  her  body  linen;  I  held  it 
ready  unfolded  for  her ;  the  lady  of  honour  came  in,  slipped  off 
her  gloves,  and  took  it.  A  rustling  was  heard  at  the  door ;  it 
was  opened  :  and  in  came  the  Duchess  d' Orleans ;  she  took  her 
gloves  off,  and  came  forward  to  take  the  garment;  but  as  it 
would  have  been  wrong  in  the  lady  of  honour  to  hand  it  to  her, 
she  gave  it  to  me,  and  I  handed  it  to  the  princess :  a  further 
noise — it  was  the  Countess  de  Provence ;  the  Duchess  d' Orleans 
handed  her  the  linen.  All  this  while  the  Queen  kept  her  arms 
crossed  upon  her  bosom,  and  appeared  to  feel  cold :  Madame 
observed  her  uncomfortable  situation,  and  merely  laying  down 
her  handkerchief,  without  taking  off  her  gloves,  she  put  on  the 
linen,  and,  in  doing  so,  knocked  the  Queen's  cap  off.  The 
Queen  laughed  to  conceal  her  impatience,  but  not  until  she  had 
muttered  several  times  :  "  How  disagreeable  !  how  tiresome  I" 

All  this  etiquette,  however  inconvenient,  was  suitable  to  the 
royal  dignity,  which  expects  to  find  servants  in  all  classes  of 
persons,  beginning  even  with  the  brothers  and  sisters  of  the 
monarch. 

Speaking  here  of  etiquette,  I  do  not  allude  to  that  order  of 
state  laid  down  for  days  of  ceremony  in  all  courts.  I  mean 
those  minute  ceremonies  that  were  observed  towards  our  kings 
in  their  inmost  privacies,  in  their  hours  of  pleasure,  in  those  of 
pain,  and  even  during  the  most  revolting  of  human  infirmities. 

These  servile  rules  were  drawn  up  into  a  kind  of  code ;  they 
offered  to  a  Richelieu,  a  Rochefoucalt,  and  a  Duras,  in  the 
exercise  of  their  domestic  functions,  opportunities  of  intimacy 
useful  to  their  interests ;  and  to  humour  their  vanity,  they  were 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  113 

pleased  with  customs,  -which  converted  the  right  to  give  a  glass 
of  water,  to  put  on  a  dress,  and  to  remove  a  basin,  into  honour- 
able prerogatives. 

Princes  thus  accustomed  to  be  treated  as  divinities,  naturally 
arrived  at  the  belief,  that  they  were  of  a  distinct  nature,  of  a 
purer  essence  than  the  rest  of  mankind. 

This  sort  of  etiquette,  which  led  our  princes  to  cause  them- 
selves to  be  treated  in  private  as  idols,  made  them  in  public, 
martyrs  to  decorum.  Marie  Antoinette  found  in  the  castle  of 
Versailles,  a  multitude  of  established  and  revered  customs,  which 
appeared  to  her  insupportable. 

None  but  sworn  femmes  de  chambre,  wearing  the  full  court 
dresses,  were  entitled  to  remain  in  the  room,  and  to  attend  in 
conjunction  with  the  dame  d'honneur  and  the  tire-woman. 
The  Queen  abolished  all  this  formality.  As  soon  as  her  head 
was  dressed,  she  curtesied  to  all  the  ladies  who  were  in  her 
chamber,  and,  followed  only  by  her  own  women,  went  into  her 
closet,  where  Mademoiselle  Bertin,  who  could  not  be  admitted 
into  the  chamber,  used  to  await  her.*  It  was  in  this  inner 
closet  that  she  produced  her  new  and  numerous  dresses.  The 
Queen  was  also  desirous  of  being  served  by  the  most  fashionable 
hair-dresser  in  Paris.  Now  the  custom  which  forbade  all  per- 
sons in  inferior  office,  employed  by  royalty,  to  exert  their  talents 
for  the  public,  was  no  doubt  intended  to  cut  off  all  communi- 
cation between  the  privacy  of  princes,  and  society  at  large;  the 
latter  being  always  extremely  curious  respecting  the  most  trifling 
particulars,  relative  to  the  private  life  of  the  former.  The 
Queen,  fearing  that  the  taste  of  the  hair-dresser  would  suffer,  if 

*  Mademoiselle  Bertin,  it  is  said,  upon  the  strength  of  the  Queen's 
kindness,  assumed  u  most  ridiculous  degree  of  pride.  A  lady  one  day 
•went  to  that  famous  fashion-monger,  to  ask  for  some  patterns  of  mourn- 
ing for  the  Empress.  Several  were  shown  to  her,  all  of  which  she 
rejected.  Mademoiselle  Bertin  exclaimed,  in  a  tone  of  voice  made  up 
of  vexation  and  self-sufficiency,  "  Show  the  lady  then  some  specimens 
of  my  last  transactions  with  her  majesty."  However  ridiculous  the  ex- 
pression may  sound,  it  was  actually  used  as  related. 

Note  by  the  Editor. 


114  MEMOIRS   OF 

lie  should  discontinue  the  general  practice  of  his  art,  ordered 
him  to  serve  as  usual  certain  ladies  of  the  court  and  capital; 
and  this  multiplied  the  opportunities  of  learning  details  respect- 
ing the  household,  and  very  often  misrepresenting  them. 

One  of  the  customs  most  disagreeable  to  the  Queen,  was,  that 
of  dining  every  day  in  public.  Maria  Leckzinska  had  constantly 
submitted  to  this  wearisome  practice  :  Marie  Antoinette  fol- 
lowed it  as  long  as  she  was  dauphiness.  The  dauphin  dined 
with  her,  and  each  branch  of  the  family  had  its  public  dinner 
daily.  The  ushers  suffered  all  decently-dressed  people  to  enter; 
the  sight  was  the  delight  of  persons  from  the  country.  At  the 
dinner  hour,  there  were  none  to  be  met  upon  the  stairs  but 
honest  folks,  who,  after  having  seen  the  dauphiness  take  her 
soup,  went  to  see  the  princes  eat  their  bouilli,  and  then  ran  till 
they  were  out  of  breath  to  behold  mesdames  at  their  dessert.* 

Very  ancient  usage,  too,  required  that  the  Queens  of  France 
should  appear  in  public,  surrounded  only  by  women ;  even  at 
meal  times,  no  person  of  the  other  sex  attended  to  serve  at 
table ;  and  although  the  King  ate  publicly  with  the  Queen,  yet 
he  himself  was  served  by  women,  with  everything  which  was 
presented  to  him  directly  at  table.  The  lady  of  honour,  kneel- 
ing for  her  own  accommodation  upon  a  low  stool,  with  a  napkin 
upon  her  arm,  and  four  women  in  full  dress,  presented  the 
plates  to  the  King  and  Queen.  The  lady  of  honour  handed 
them  drink.  This  service  had  formerly  been  the  right  of  the 
maids  of  honour.  The  Queen,  upon  her  accession  to  the  throne, 
abolished  the  usage  altogether ;  she  also  freed  herself  from  the 
necessity  of  being  followed,  in  the  palace  of  Versailles,  by  two 
of  her  women  in  court  dresses,  during  those  hours  of  the  day, 
when  the  ladies  of  the  chamber  were  not  with  her.  From  that 

*  It  will  be  imagined  that  the  charms  of  conversation,  cheerfulness, 
and  good-natured  freedom,  which  in  France  contribute  to  the  pleasures 
of  the  table,  were  strangers  to  these  ceremonious  repasts.  In  fact,  it 
was  necessary  to  have  been  habituated  from  infancy  to  eat  in  public, 
in  order  to  avoid  losing  all  appetite,  from  being  the  object  to  which 
the  eyes  of  so  many  strangers  were  directed. 

Note  by  Madame  Campan* 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  115 

time  she  was  accompanied  only  by  a  single  valet  de  chambre,  and 
two  footmen.  All  the  errors  of  Marie  Antoinette  were  of  the 
same  description  as  those  which  I  have  just  detailed.  An  incli- 
nation to  substitute  by  degrees  the  simple  customs  of  Vienna 
for  those  of  Versailles,  proved  more  injurious  to  her,  than  she 
could  possibly  have  imagined. 

The  Queen  frequently  spoke  to  the  Abbe"  de  Vermond,  of  the 
perpetually  recurring  impertinences,  from  which  she  had  to  free 
herself;  and  I  observed  that  after  having  listened  to  what  he 
had  to  say  on  the  subject,  she  always  indulged  in  philosophical 
reveries  on  simplicity  beneath  the  diadem,  and  paternal  confi- 
dence in  devoted  subjects,  with  great  pleasure.  This  charming 
romance  of  royalty,  which  is  not  given  to  all  sovereigns  to 
realize,  flattered  the  tender  heart  and  youthful  fancy  of  Marie 
Antoinette,  in  an  extraordinary  degree. 

Brought  up  in  a  court  where  simplicity  was  combined  with 
majesty :  placed  at  Versailles,  between  a  troublesome  lady  of 
honour,  and  an  imprudent  adviser,  it  is  not  surprising  that  when 
she  became  Queen,  she  was  desirous  of  evading  disagreeables, 
the  indispensable  necessity  of  which  she  could  not  see :  this 
error  sprung  from  a  true  feeling  of  sensibility.  This  unfor- 
tunate princess,  against  whom  the  opinions  of  the  French  people 
were  at  length  greatly  excited,  possessed  qualities  which  deserved 
to  obtain  the  highest  degree  of  popularity.  None  could  doubt 
this,  who,  like  myself,  had  heard  her  with  delight,  describe  the 
partriarchal  manners  of  the  house  of  Lorraine.  She  was  accuS" 
tomcd  to  say,  that  by  transplanting  their  manners  into  Austria, 
the  princes  of  that  house  had  laid  the  foundation  of  the  unassail- 
able popularity  enjoyed  by  the  imperial  family.*  She  fre- 
quently related  to  me  the  interesting  manner  in  which  the 
Dukes  of  Lorraine  levied  their  taxes.  "  The  sovereign  prince," 
said  she,  "  went  to  church ;  after  the  sermon  he  rose,  waved  his 
hat  in  the  air,  to  show  that  he  was  about  to  speak,  and  then 

*  See  the  Historical  Illustrations,  letter  (I),  for  several  curious  pecu- 
liarities of  the  simple  habits  of  the  court  of  Vienna. 

Note  by  the  Editor. 
11* 


116  MEMOIRS  OF 

mentioned  the  sum  of  which  he  stood  in  need.  Such  was  the 
zeal  of  the  good  Lorrainers,  that  men  have  been  known  to  take 
away  linen  or  household  utensils,  without  the  knowledge  of 
their  wives,  and  sell  them  to  add  the  value  to  the  contribution. 
It  sometimes  happened,  too,  that  the  prince  received  more  money 
than  he  asked  for,  in  which  case  he  restored  the  surplus." 

All  who  were  acquainted  with  the  Queen's  private  qualities, 
knew  that  she  equally  deserved  attachment  and  esteem.  Kind 
and  patient  to  the  utmost,  in  all  her  relations  with  her  house- 
hold, she  indulgently  considered  all  around  her;  and  interested 
herself  in  their  fortunes,  and  in  their  pleasures.  She  had,  among 
her  women,  young  girls  from  the  Maison  de  Saint-Cyr,  all  well 
born  j  the  Queen  forbade  them  the  play,  when  the  performances 
were  not  of  a  suitable  degree  of  morality  :  sometimes,  when  old 
plays  were  to  be  represented,  if  she  found  she  could  not  with 
certainty  trust  to  her  memory,  she  would  take  the  trouble  to 
read  them  in  the  morning,  to  enable  her  to  judge  of  them,  and 
then  decide  whether  the  girls  should  or  should  not  go  to  see 
them :  rightly  considering  herself  bound  to  watch  over  the 
morals  and  conduct  of  those  young  persons. 

I  am  pleased  at  being  able  here  to  assert  the  truth  respecting 
two  valuable  qualities  which  the  Queen  possessed  in  a  high 
degree — temperance  and  modesty.  Her  customary  dinner  was 
a  chicken,  roasted  or  boiled,  and  she  drank  water  only.  She 
showed  no  particular  partiality  for  anything  but  her  coffee  in 
the  morning,  and  a  sort  of  bread  to  which  she  had  been  accus- 
tomed in  her  infancy  at  Vienna. 

Her  modesty,  in  every  particular  of  her  private  toilet,  was 
extreme ;  she  bathed  in  a  long  flannel  gown,  buttoned  up  to  the 
neck ;  and,  while  her  two  bathing  women  assisted  her  out  of  the 
bath,  she  required  one  of  them  to  hold  a  cloth  before  her,  raised 
so  that  her  attendants  might  not  see  her.  And  yet  one  Soulavie 
has  dared,  in  the  first  volume  of  a  most  scandalous  work,  to  say 
that  the  Queen  was  disgustingly  immodest ;  that  she  was  accus- 
tomed to  bathe  naked,  and  that  she  had  even  given  admittance 
to  a  venerable  ecclesiastic,  while  in  that  state.  What  punish- 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  117 

ment  can  be  too  great  for  libellers,  who  dare  to  give  such  perfi- 
dious falsehoods  the  title  of  historical  memoirs  1* 

*  Every  one  must  partake  the  indignation  felt  by  Madame  Campari 
on  reading,  in  the  Abbe"  Soulavie's  Memoirs,  the  details  to  which,  -with 
a  warmth  highly  creditable  to  her,  she  gives  the  lie.  How  could 
an  historian  possessed  of  any  sagacity,  put  forth  assertions  so  false  ? 
How  could  a  man  of  any  sense  of  shame — how  could  a  priest  write  them 
down  ?  After  reading  this  passage  of  his  Historical  Memoirs,  we  may 
imagine  why  there  exists  so  much  unwillingness  to  consult  them,  and 
how  much  discredit  similar  assertions  throw  upon  whatever  truths  he 
may  have  published  in  the  same  work — Note  by  the  Editor 


118  MEMOIRS  OP 


CHAPTER  V. 

Revision  of  the  Papers  of  Louis  XV.,  by  Louis  XVI. — Man  in  the  Iron 
Mask — The  late  King's  Interest  in  certain  Financial  Companies  — 
Representation  of  Iphigenia  in  Aulis — The  King  gives  Little  Trianon 
to  the  Queen — The  Archduke  Maximilian's  Journey  to  France — Ques- 
tions of  Precedence — Misadventure  of  the  Archduke — Lying-in  of  the 
Countess  d'Artois — The  Poissardes  cry  out  to  the  Queen  to  give  Heirs 
to  the  throne — Death  of  the  Duke  de  la  Vauguyon — Portrait  of  Louis 
XVI. — Of  the  Count  de  Provence — Of  the  Count  d'Artois,  &c. 

DURING  the  first  few  months  of  his  reign,  Louis  XVI.  had 
dwelt  at  La  Muette,  Marly,  and  Comphegne.  When  he  was  set- 
tled at  Versailles,  he  busied  himself  with  a  general  revision 
of  his  grandfather's  papers.  He  had  promised  the  Queen  to 
communicate  to  her  all  that  he  might  discover  relative  to  the 
history  of  the  man  with  the  iron  mask  :  he  thorfght,  after  what 
he  had  heard  on  the  subject,  this  iron  mask  had  become  so  inex- 
haustible a  source  of  conjecture,  only  in  consequence  of  the  in- 
terest which  the  pen  of  a  celebrated  writer  had  raised  respect- 
ing the  detention  of  a  prisoner  of  state,  who  was  merely  a  man 
of  whimsical  tastes  and  habits. 

I  was  with  the  Queen  when  the  King,  having  finished  his 
researches,  informed  her  that  he  had  not  found  anything  among 
the  secret  papers,  elucidating  the  existence  of  this  prisoner; 
that  he  had  conversed  on  the  matter  with  M.  de  Maurepas,  whose 
age  showed  him  a  contemporary  with  the  epoch  during  which  the 
anecdote  in  question  must  have  been  known  to  the  ministers ; 
and  that  M.  de  Maurepas  had  assured  him  he  was  merely  a  pri- 
soner of  a  very  dangerous  character,  in  consequence  of  his  dis- 
position for  intrigue ;  and  was  a  subject  of  the  Duke  of  Mantua. 
He  was  enticed  to  the  frontier,  arrested  there,  and  kept  prisoner, 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  119 

first  at  Pignerol,  and  afterwards  in  the  Bastille.  This  transfer 
from  one  prison  to  the  other,  took  place  in  consequence  of  the 
appointment  of  the  governor  of  the  former  place,  to  the  govern- 
ment of  the  latter.  He  was  aware  of  the  stratagems  of  his  pri- 
soner; and  it  was  for  fear  the  latter  should  profit  by  the  inex- 
perience of  a  new  governor,  that  he  was  sent  with  the  governor 
of  Pignerol  to  the  Bastille. 

Such  was,  in  fact,  the  real  truth  about  the  man  on  whom 
people  have  been  pleased  to  fix  an  iron  mask.  And  thus  was  it 
related  in  writing,  and  published,  by  M.  *  *  *,  twenty  years 
ago.  He  had  searched  the  depot  of  foreign  affairs,  and  there  he 
had  found  the  truth  :  he  laid  it  before  the  public ;  but  the  public, 
prepossessed  in  favour  of  a  version  which  attracted  them  by  the 
marvellous,  would  not  acknowledge  the  authenticity  of  the  true 
account.  Every  man  relied  upon  the  authority  of  Voltaire  :  and 
it  is  still  believed  that  a  natural,  or  a  twin  brother  of  Louis 
XIV.  lived  a  number  of  years  in  prison,  with  a  mask  over  his 
face.  The  whimsical  story  of  this  mask,  perhaps  had  its  origin 
in  the  old  custom,  among  both  men  and  women,  in  Italy,  of 
wearing  a  velvet  mask,  when  they  exposed  themselves  to  the 
sun.  It  is  possible  that  the  Italian  captive  may  have  sometimes 
shown  himself  upon  the  terrace  of  his  prison,  with  his  face  thus 
covered.  As  to  the  silver  plate  which  this  celebrated  prisoner 
is  said  to  have  thrown  from  his  window,  it  is  known  that  such 
a  circumstance  did  happen  ;  but  it  happened  at  Valzin.  It  was 
in  the  time  of  Cardinal  Richelieu.  This  anecdote  has  been  mixed 
up  with  the  inventions  respecting  the  Piedmontese  prisoner. 

It  was  also  in  this  review  of  his  grandfather's  papers,  that 
Louis  XVI.  found  some  very  curious  particulars  relative  to  his 
private  treasury.  Certain  shares,  in  various  companies  of 
finance,  afforded  him  a  revenue,  and  had  at  last  produced  him 
a  capital  of  some  amount,  which  he  applied  to  his  secret 
expenses.  The  King  collected  his  vouchers  of  title  to  these 
shares,  and  made  a  present  of  them  to  M.  Thierry  de  Villeda- 
vray,  his  chief  valet  de  chembre. 

The  Queen  was  desirous  to  secure  the  comfort  of  the  prin- 


120  MEMOIRS  OF 

cesses,  the  daughters  of  Louis  XV.,  who  were  held  in  the 
highest  respect.  About  this  period,  she  contributed  to  furnish 
them  with  a  revenue  sufficient  to  provide  them  an  easy  compe- 
tence. The  King  gave  them  the  chateau  of  Bellevue;  and 
added  to  the  produce  of  it,  which  was  given  up  to  them,  the 
expenses  of  their  table  and  equipage,  and  payment  of  all  the 
charges  of  their  household,  the  number  of  which  was  even 
increased.  During  the  lifetime  of  Louis  XV.,  who  was  a  very 
selfish  prince,  his  daughters,  although  they  had  attained  forty 
years  of  age,  had  no  other  place  of  residence  than  their  apart- 
ments in  the  palace  of  Versailles ;  no  other  walks  than  such  as 
they  could  take  in  the  large  park  of  that  palace ;  and  no  other 
means  of  gratifying  their  taste  for  a  garden,  but  by  having 
boxes  and  vases,  filled  with  plants,  in  their  balconies  or  closets. 
They  had,  therefore,  reason  to  be  much  pleased  with  the 
conduct  of  Marie  Antoinette,  who  had  the  greatest  influence  in 
the  King's  kindness  towards  his  aunts. 

Paris  never  ceased,  during  the  first  years  of  the  reign,  to 
testify  joy  whenever  the  Queen  appeared  at  any  of  the  plays  of 
the  capital.  The  representation  of  Iphigenia  in  Aulis,  produced 
her  one  of  the  most  pleasing  triumphs  that  ever  were  enjoyed 
by  any  sovereign.  The  actor,  who  sang  the  words,  "Let  us 
sing,  let  us  praise  our  Queen;"  which  were  repeated  by  the 
chorus,  directed  by  a  respectful  movement  towards  her  majesty, 
the  eyes  of  the  whole  assembly  upon  her :  reiterated  cries  of 
encore !  and  clapping  of  hands,  were  followed  by  such  a  burst 
of  enthusiasm,  that  many  of  the  audience  added  their  voices  to 
those  of  the  actors,  in  order  to  celebrate,  it  might  too  truly  be 
said,  another  Iphigenia.  The  Queen,  deeply  affected,  covered 
her  streaming  eyes  with  her  handkerchief;  and  this  public 
proof  of  sensibility  raised  the  general  enthusiasm  to  a  still 
higher  pitch. 

Such  a  reception  unfortunately  induced  the  Queen  too  often 
to  seek  for  circumstances,  which  might  either  present  or  recall 
enjoyments  equally  delightful. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  121 

The  King  gave  her  Little  Trianon.*  Henceforward  she 
amused  herself  with  improving  the  gardens,  without  allowing 
any  addition  to  the  building,  or  any  change  in  the  furniture, 
which  was  become  very  shabby,  and  remained,  in  1789,  in  the 
same  state  as  during  the  reign  of  Louis  XV.  Everything  there, 
without  exception,  was  preserved  j  and  the  Queen  slept  in  a  very 
faded  bed,  which  in  fact  had  been  used  by  the  Countess  du  Barry. 
The  charge  of  extravagance,  generally  made  against  the  Queen, 
is  the  most  unaccountable  of  all  the  popular  errors  respecting 
her  character,  which  have  crept  into  the  world.f  She  had  ex- 
actly the  contrary  failing  :  and  I  could  prove  that  she  often  car- 
ried her  economy  to  a  degree  of  parsimony  actually  blameable, 
and  particularly  in  a  sovereign.  She  took  a  great  liking  for  her 
retirement  of  Trianon  j  she  used  to  go  there  alone,  followed  by 
a  valet ;  but  she  found  attendants  ready  to  receive  her — a  stew- 
ard, and  his  wife,  who  served  her  as  femme  de  chambre ;  women 
of  the  wardrobe ;  footmen,  &c. 

When  she  first  took  possession  of  Little  Trianon,  a  report 
was  spread  that  she  had  changed  the  name  of  the  seat  which  the 
King  had  just  given  her,  and  had  called  it  Little  Vienna,  or 
Little  Schcenbrunn.  A  person,  who  belonged  to  the  court,  and 
was  simple  enough  to  give  credit  hastily  to  this  report,  wishing 
to  visit  Little  Trianon  with  a  party,  wrote  to  M.  Campan,  request- 
ing the  Queen's  permission  to  do  so.  In  his  note,  he  called 
Trianon  Little  Vienna.  Similar  requests  were  usually  laid  be- 
fore the  Queen  just  as  they  were  made :  she  chose  to  give  the 

*  The  seat  called  Little  Trianon,  -which  was  built  for  Louis  XV.,  is 
not  remarkably  handsome  as  a  building.  The  luxuriance  of  the  hot- 
houses rendered  the  place  agreeable  to  that  prince.  He  spent  a  few 
days  there  several  times  in  the  year.  It  was  while  he  was  setting  off 
from  Versailles  for  Little  Trianon,  that  he  was  struck  in  the  side  by 
the  knife  of  Damiens ;  and  it  was  there  that  he  was  attacked  by  the 
small-pox,  of  which  disorder  he  died  on  the  10th  of  May,  1774. 

Note  by  Madame  Campan. 

•f  This  charge  of  prodigality,  so  unjustly  laid  against  the  Queen,  was 
spread  with  such  industry  throughout  France  and  all  Europe,  that  it 
must  have  been  a  part  of  the  scheme  for  rendering  the  court  solely 
responsible  for  the  bad  state  of  the  finances. — Note  by  Madame  Campan. 


122  MEMOIRS  OP 

permissions  to  see  her  gardens  herself,  feeling  a  pleasure  in  grant- 
ing these  little  marks  of  favour.  When  she  came  to  the  ob- 
noxious words,  she  was  very  much  offended,  and  exclaimed,  an- 
grily, that  there  were  too  many  fools  ready  to  aid  the  malicious ; 
that  she  had  heard  of  the  report  circulated,  that  she  thought  of 
nothing  hut  her  own  country,  and  that  she  kept  an  Austrian 
heart,  while  the  interests  of  France  alone  ought  to  engage  her. 
She  refused  this  request,  so  awkwardly  made ;  and  desired  Ma- 
dame Campan  to  reply,  that  Trianon  was  not  to  be  seen  for  some 
time  j  and  that  the  Queen  was  astonished  that  any  man  of 
respectability,  should  believe  she  would  do  so  ill-judged  a  thing, 
as  to  change  the  French  names  of  her  palaces,  to  substitute 
foreign  ones. 

Before  the  first  visit  of  the  Emperor  Joseph  II.  to  France,  the 
Queen  received  a  visit  from  the  Archduke  Maximilian,  in  1775. 
An  injudicious  pretension,  suggested  by  the  persons  who  advised 
this  prince,  or  rather  an  act  of  stupidity  of  the  ambassador, 
seconded  on  the  part  of  the  Queen  by  the  Abbe  Vermond,  gave 
rise,  at  that  period,  to  a  discussion  which  incensed  the  princes 
of  the  blood,  and  the  chief  nobility  of  the  kingdom,  against  the 
Queen.  Travelling  iiicognito,  the  young  prince  insisted  that  the 
first  visit  was  not  due  from  him  to  the  princes  of  the  blood — 
and  the  Queen  supported  his  determination.* 

From  the  time  of  the  regency,  and  on  account  of  the  residence 
of  the  family  of  Orleans  in  the  bosom  of  the  capital,  Paris  had 
preserved  a  remarkable  degree  of  attachment  and  respect  for  that 
branch  :  and  although  the  crown  was  becoming  more  and  more 
remote  from  the  princes  of  the  house  of  Orleans,  they  had  the 
advantage  (a  great  one  with  the  Parisians,)  of  being  the  descend- 

*  Two  mistakes  of  this  description  were  made  at  court — one  at  the 
time  of  the  dauphiness's  marriage,  and  the  other  on  the  occasion  here 
spoken  of  by  Madame  Campan.  These  questions  of  precedence,  im- 
prudently discussed,  and  which  irritated  the  superior  nobility,  gave 
rise  to  disputes,  furnished  anecdotes,  and  produced  bonmots  and 
epigrams,  some  of  which  Grimm  relates  in  his  Correspondence,  and 
which  will  be  found  in  the  Historical  Elustrations,  letter  (K). 

Note  by  the  Editor. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  123 

ants  of  Henry  IV.  An  affront  to  the  princes,  and  especially  to 
that  beloved  family,  was  a  serious  ground  of  dislike  to  the 
Queen.  It  was  at  this  period,  and  perhaps  for  the  first  time, 
that  the  circles  of  the  city,  and  even  of  the  court,  expressed 
themselves  bitterly  about  her  levity,  and  her  partiality  for  the 
house  of  Austria.  The  prince  for  whom  the  Queen  had  embarked 
in  an  important  family  quarrel — and  a  quarrel  involving  national 
prerogatives — was,  besides,  little  calculated  to  inspire  interest. 
Still  young,  uninformed,  and  deficient  in  natural  talents,  he  was 
always  committing  some  foolish  errors. 

The  archduke's  visit  was,  in  every  point  of  view,  a  misfor- 
tune. He  did  nothing  but  commit  blunders.  He  went  to  the 
King's  garden ;  M.  de  Buffon,  who  received  him  there,  presented 
him  with  a  copy  of  his  works :  the  prince  declined  accepting 
the  book,  saying  to  M.  de  Buffon  in  the  most  polite  manner 
possible,  "I  should  be  very  sorry  to  deprive  you  of  it."*  It 
may  be  supposed  that  the  Parisians  were  much  entertained  with 
this  answer. 

The  Queen  was  exceedingly  mortified  at  the  blunders  com- 
mitted by  her  brother ;  but  what  hurt  her  most  on  the  occasion, 
was  the  being  accused  of  preserving  an  Austrian  heart.  Marie 
Antoinette  had  more  than  once  to  endure  that  cruel  imputation, 
during  the  long  course  of  her  misfortunes ;  habit  never  dried  up 
the  tears  drawn  forth  by  such  instances  of  injustice ;  but  the 
first  time  she  was  suspected  of  not  loving  France,  she  gave  way 
to  her  indignation.  All  that  she  could  say  on  the  subject,  was 
useless :  by  seconding  the  pretensions  of  the  archduke,  she  had 
put  arms  into  her  enemies'  hands;  they  were  labouring  to 
deprive  her  of  the  love  of  the  people ;  and  endeavoured,  by  all 
possible  means,  to  spread  a  belief,  that  the  Queen  sighed  for 
Germany,  and  preferred  that  country  to  France. 

Marie  Antoinette  had  none  but  herself  to  rely  on,  for  pre- 
serving the  fickle  smiles  of  the  court,  and  the  public.  The 

*  Joseph  II.  on  his  visit  to  France,  went  also  to  see  M.  de  Buffon,  and 
said  to  that  celebrated  man :  "  I  come  to  fetch  the  copy  of  your  works, 
which  my  brother  forgot." — Note  by  the  Editor. 

VOL.  I. 12 


124  MEMOIRS  OF 

King,  too  indifferent  to  serve  her  as  a  guide,  as  yet  Lad  con- 
ceived no  love  for  her ;  the  intimacy  that  grew  between  them  at 
Choisy,  having  had  no  such  result. 

In  his  closet,  Louis  XVI.  was  immersed  in  serious  study. 
At  the  council  he  was  busied  with  the  welfare  of  his  people ; 
hunting  and  mechanical  occupations  engrossed  his  leisure  mo- 
ments, and  he  never  thought  on  the  subject  of  an  heir. 

The  coronation  took  place  at  Rheims,  with  all  the  accustomed 
pomp.  At  this  period  Louis  XVI.  experienced  that  which  can, 
and  should,  most  powerfully  affect  the  heart  of  a  virtuous  sove- 
reign. The  people's  love  for  him  burst  forth  in  those  unani- 
mous transports,  which  are  clearly  distinguishable  from  the 
impulse  of  curiosity,  or  the  clamours  of  party.  He  replied  to 
this  enthusiasm,  by  marks  of  confidence,  worthy  of  a  people 
happy  in  being  under  the  government  of  a  good  king ;  he  took 
a  pleasure  in  repeatedly  walking  without  guards,  in  the  midst 
of  the  crowd  which  pressed  around  him,  and  called  down  bless- 
ings on  his  head.  I  remarked  the  impression  made  at  this  time, 
by  an  observation  of  Louis  XVI.  On  the  day  of  his  corona- 
tion, in  the  middle  of  the  choir  of  the  cathedral  at  Rheims,  he 
put  his  hand  up  to  his  head,  at  the  moment  of  the  crown  being 
placed  upon  it,  and  said,  "  It  hurts  me."  Henry  III.  had  ex- 
claimed, "  It  pricks  me."  Those  who  were  near  the  King,  were 
struck  with  the  similitude  between  these  two  exclamations, 
though  it  will  not  be  imagined,  that  such  as  had  the  honour  of 
being  near  the  young  monarch  on  that  day,  were  of  the  class, 
which  ignorance  renders  superstitious.* 

While  the  Queen,  neglected  as  she  was,  could  not  even  hope 

*  The  account  of  the  coronation  of  Louis  XVT.  is  interesting  to  the 
present  generation,  because  all  the  usages  of  the  ancient  monarchy  are 
to  be  found  in  it  Many  circumstances  attending  it,  likewise  place  the 
characters  of  the  King  and  Queen  in  the  most  favourable  light.  But 
as  these  details  are  taken  from  a  work  published  in  1791,  it  cannot 
be  surprising  that  they  are  strongly  tinctured  with  the  spirit  and  feel- 
ing of  the  times.  (See  Historical  Illustrations,  letter  L.) 

Note  by  the  Editor. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  126 

for  the  happiness  of  being  a  mother,  she  had  the  mortification 
to  witness  the  confinement  of  the  Countess  d'Artois,  and  the 
birth  of  the  Duke  d'Angouleme. 

Custom  required  that  the  royal  family  and  the  whole  court 
should  be  present  at  the  delivery  of  the  princesses;  that  of  a 
Queen  was  obliged  to  be  absolutely  public.  The  Queen  was 
therefore  compelled  to  stay  the  whole  day  in  her  sister-in-law's 
chamber.  The  moment  the  Countess  d'Artois  was  informed  it 
was  a  prince,  she  exclaimed  with  energy,  "My  God,  how  happy 
I  am  I"  The  Queen  felt  very  differently  at  this  involuntary  and 
natural  exclamation.  At  that  moment,  she  had  not  even  the 
hope  of  being  a  mother.  She  nevertheless  disguised  her  morti- 
fication. She  bestowed  all  possible  marks  of  tenderness  upon 
the  young  mother,  and  would  not  leave  her  until  she  was  put 
into  bed ;  she  afterwards  passed  along  the  staircase,  and 
through  the  guard-room,  with  a  calm  demeanour,  in  the  midst 
of  an  immense  crowd.  The  poissardes,  who  had  assumed  a 
right  of  speaking  to  sovereigns,  in  their  own  gross  and  ridicu- 
lous language,  followed  her  to  her  very  apartments,  calling  out 
to  her,  in  the  most  licentious  expressions,  that  she  ought  to 
produce  heirs.  The  Queen  hastened  to  her  inner  room,  ex- 
tremely agitated ;  she  shut  herself  up  to  weep  with  me  alone, 
not  from  jealousy  of  her  sister-in-law's  happiness — of  that  she 
was  incapable,  but  from  affliction  at  her  own  situation. 

I  have  often  had  occasion  to  admire  the  Queen's  moderation 
in  all  cases  of  great  and  personal  interest;  she  was  extremely 
affecting,  when  in  misfortune. 

Deprived  of  the  happiness  of  giving  an  heir  to  the  crown, 
the  Queen  endeavoured  to  create  illusions  around  her,  to  beguile 
her  feelings.  She  had  always  children  belonging  to  the  people 
of  her  house  near  her,  and  lavished  the  tenderest  caresses  upon 
them.  She  had  long  been  desirous  of  bringing  up  one  of  them 
herself,  and  of  making  it  the  constant  object  of  her  care.  A 
little  village  boy,  four  or  five  years  old,  full  of  health,  with  a 
pleasing  countenance,  remarkably  large  blue  eyes,  and  fine  light 
hair,  carelessly  got  under  the  feet  of  the  Queen's  horses,  when 


126  MEMOIRS   OF 

she  was  taking  aii  airing  in  a  calash,  through  the  hamlet  of 
Saint  Michel,  near  Luciennes.  The  coachman  and  postillions 
stopped  the  horses,  and  the  child  was  rescued  from  its  imminent 
peril,  without  the  slightest  injury.  Its  grandmother  rushed 
out  of  the  door  of  her  cottage  to  take  it;  but  the  Queen  stood 
up  in  her  calash,  and  extending  her  arms  to  the  old  woman, 
called  out  that  the  child  was  hers,  and  that  Providence  had 
given  it  to  her,  to  console  her,  no  doubt,  until  she  should  have 
the  happiness  of  having  one  herself.  "  Is  his  mother  alive  ?" 
asked  the  Queen.  "  No,  madam ;  my  daughter  died  last  winter, 
and  left  five  small  children  upon  my  hands." — "  I  will  take  this 
one,  and  provide  for  all  the  rest, — do  you  consent?" — "Ah, 
madam,  they  are  too  fortunate,"  replied  the  cottager ;  "  but 
James  is  very  wayward  :  I  hope  he  will  stay  with  you  !"  The 
Queen,  taking  little  James  upon  her  knee,  said  that  she  would 
soon  make  him  used  to  her ;  that  it  should  be  her  occupation  ; 
and  she  ordered  the  equipage  to  proceed.  It  was  necessary, 
however,  to  shorten  the  ride,  so  violently  did  James  scream,  and 
kick  the  Queen  and  her  ladies. 

The  arrival  of  her  majesty  at  her  apartments  at  Versailles, 
holding  the  little  rustic  by  the  hand,  astonished  the  whole  house- 
hold ;  he  screamed  out  lustily  that  he  wanted  his  grandmother, 
his  brother  Louis,  and  his  sister  Marianne ;  nothing  could  calm 
him.  He  was  taken  away  by  the  wife  of  a  servant,  who  was 
appointed  to  attend  him  as  nurse.  The  other  children  were  put 
to  school.  Poor  James,  whose  family  name  was  Armand,  came 
back  to  the  Queen  two  days  afterwards ;  a  white  frock  trimmed 
with  lace,  a  rose-coloured  sash  with  silver  fringe,  and  a  hat  de- 
corated with  feathers,  were  now  substituted  for  the  woollen  cap 
and  the  little  red  frock,  and  wooden  shoes.  The  child  was  really 
very  beautiful.  The  Queen  was  enchanted  with  him ;  he  was 
brought  to  her  every  morning,  at  nine  o'clock ;  he  breakfasted 
and  dined  with  her,  and  often  with  the  King.  She  liked  to  call 
him  my  child*  and  lavished  the  tenderest  caresses  upon  him, 

*  This  little  unfortunate  was  nearly  twenty  in  1792  ;  the  incendiary 
endeavours  of  the  people,  and  the  fear  of  being  thought  a  favoured 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  127 

still  maintaining  a  deep  silence  respecting  the  affliction  which 
constantly  occupied  her  heart. 

This  child  remained  with  the  Queen,  until  the  time  when  Ma- 
dame was  old  enough  to  come  home  to  her  august  mother,  who 
had  particularly  taken  upon  herself  the  care  of  her  education. 

The  King  began  to  take  pleasure  in  the  society  of  the  Queen, 
although  he  had  not  yet  exercised  the  privilege  of  a  husband. 
The  Queen  was  incessantly  talking  of  the  good  qualities  which 
she  admired  in  Louis  XVI.,  and  gladly  attributed  to  herself  the 
slightest  favourable  change  in  his  manner :  perhaps  she  displayed 
too  unreservedly  the  joy  she  felt  at  it,  and  the  part  she  fancied 
herself  to  have  in  it. 

One  day  Louis  XVI.  saluted  her  ladies  with  more  kindness 
and  grace  than  usual,  and  the  Queen  said  to  them  :  "  Now  con- 
fess, ladies,  that  for  one  so  badly  brought  up,  the  King  has  sa- 
luted you  very  prettily." 

The  Queen  detested  M.  de  la  Vauguyon;  she  accused  him 
alone,  of  those  points  in  the  habits  and  even  the  sentiments  of 
the  King,  which  hurt  her. 

An  old  lady,  who  had  been  first  lady  of  the  bed-chamber  to 
Queen  Maria  Leckzinska,  had  continued  in  office  near  the  young 
Queen.  She  was  one  of  those  old  people,  who  are  fortunate 
enough  to  spend  their  whole  lives  in  the  service  of  kings,  with- 
out knowing  anything  of  what  is  passing  at  court.  She  was  a 
great  devotee  :  the  Abbe"  Grisel,  an  ex-jesuit,  was  her  confessor. 
Being  rich  from  her  savings,  and  an  income  of  50,000  livres, 
which  she  had  long  enjoyed,  she  kept  a  very  good  table,  and  in 
her  apartment  the  most  distinguished  persons  who  still  advo- 
cated the  order  of  the  Jesuits  often  assembled.  The  Duke  de 
la  Vauguyon  was  intimate  with  her ;  their  chairs,  at  the  church 
des  Recollets,  were  placed  near  each  other;  at  high  mass  they 
sang  the  Gloria  in  Excelsis,  and  the  Magnificat  together ;  and 
the  pious  old  virgin,  seeing  in  him  only  one  of  God's  elect,  little 

creature  of  the  Queen's,  had  made  him  the  most  sanguinary  terrorist 
of  Versailles.  He  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Jemappes. 

Note  by  Madame  Campari. 
12* 


128  MEMOIRS  OF 

imagined  him  to  be  the  declared  enemy  of  a  princess  whom  she 
served  and  revered.  On  the  day  of  his  death,  she  ran  all  in 
tears  to  relate  to  the  Queen  the  aits  of  piety,  humanity,  and 
repentance  of  the  last  moments  of  the  Duke  de  la  Vauguyon. 
He  had  called  his  people  together,  she  said,  to  ask  their  pardon. 
— "For  what?"  replied  the  Queen  sharply;  "he  has  placed  and 
pensioned  off  all  his  servants ;  it  was  of  the  King  and  his  bro- 
thers, that  the  holy  man  you  bewail  should  have  asked  pardon  ; 
for  having  paid  so  little  attention  to  the  education  of  princes  on 
whom  the  fate  and  happiness  of  twenty-five  millions  of  men 
depend.  Luckily,"  added  she,  "  although  they  are  still  young, 
the  King  and  his  brothers  have  incessantly  laboured  to  repair 
the  errors  of  their  preceptor."* 

*  Grimm  gives  the  following  passage  :  — "The  Duke  de  la  Vauguyon 
lias  lately  departed,  to  render  an  account  at  the  tribunal  of  eternal 
justice,  of  the  manner  in  which  he  has  acquitted  himself  of  the  appalling 
and  important  duty  of  educating  a  dauphin  of  France ;  and  to  receive  the 
punishment  due  to  the  most  criminal  of  undertakings,  if  it  was  not  ful- 
filled to  the  wishes  and  applause  of  the  whole  nation.  A  remarkable  act 
of  vanity,  which  excited  equally  the  attention  of  the  court,  and  the  city, 
was  witnessed  on  that  occasion ;  this  was  the  card  of  invitation  to  the 
funeral  sent  round  to  every  house  according  to  custom.  This  card,  on 
account  of  its  singularity,  has  become  a  tenant  of  the  library.  Every 
one  has  wished  to  preserve  it ;  and  from  being  much  sought  after,  it  is 
already  scarce,  notwithstanding  the  profusion  with  which  it  was  dis- 
tributed. I  will  transcribe  it  here,  from  beginning  to  end,  in  hope  that 
it  may  carry  down  these  pages  with  it  to  posterity. 

"  '  You  are  requested  to  attend  the  funeral  procession,  service,  and 
interment  of  Monseigneur  Antoine-Paul-Jacques  de  Quelen,  head  of 
the  names  and  arms  of  the  ancient  lords  of  the  Castellany  of  Quelen, 
in  Upper  Britanny,  juvdgneur  of  the  Counts  of  Porhoet,  nominee  to  the 
name  and  arms  of  Stuer  de  Caulsade,  Duke  de  la  Vauguyon,  peer  of 
France,  Prince  of  Carency,  Count  de  Quelen,  and  du  Bonlay,  Marquis 
de  Saint  Megrin,  de  Callonges  and  d'Archiac,  Viscount  de  Calvignac, 
baron  of  the  ancient  and  honourable  baronies  of  Tonneins,  Gratteloup, 
Villeton,  la  Gruere  and  Picornet,  lord  of  Larnagol,  and  Talcoimur, 
advocate,  knight  and  vavasor  of  Sarlac,  high  baron  of  Guyenne,  second 
baron  of  Quercy,  lieutenant-general  of  the  King's  armies,  knight  of  his 
orders,  menin  to  Monseigneur  the  late  dauphin,  first  gentleman  of  the 


MARIE   ANTOINETTE.  129 

The  progress  of  time,  and  the  confidence  with  which  the 
King,  and  the  princes  his  brothers,  were  inspired  by  the  change 
of  their  situation,  since  the  death  of  Louis  XV.,  had  developed 
their  characters.  I  will  endeavour  to  depict  them. 

The  features  of  Louis  XVI.  were  fine  though  somewhat  im- 
pressed with  melancholy ;  his  walk  was  heavy  and  unmajestic ; 
his  person  greatly  neglected ;  his  hair,  whatever  might  be  the 
skill  of  his  hair-dresser,  was  soon  in  disorder,  through  his  inat- 
tention to  its  neatness.  His  voice,  without  being  harsh,  pos- 
sessed nothing  agreeable ;  if  he  grew  warm  in  speaking,  he  often 
got  above  his  natural  pitch,  and  uttered  shrill  sounds.  The 

bedchamber  of  Monseigneur  the  dauphin,  grand  master  of  his  ward- 
robe, formerly  governor  of  his  person,  and  of  that  of  Monseigneur  the 
Count  de  Provence,  governor  of  the  person  of  Monseigneur  the  Count 
d'Artois,  first  gentleman  of  his  chamber,  grandmaster  of  his  wardrobe, 
and  superintendent  of  his  household, — which  will  take  place,  on  Thurs- 
day the  6th  of  February,  1772,  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  at  the 
royal  and  parochial  church  of  Notre  Dame  de  Versailles,  where  his 
body  will  be  interred.  De  Profundis.' 

"  It  will  be  observed  that  this  card  is  the  work  of  studied,  well 
digested,  deep,  and  laborious  composition.  Its  author,"  adds  Grimm, 
"  deserves  that  the  Academy  of  Inscriptions  and  Belles  Lettres  should 
unanimously  confer  upon  him  the  first  vacant  place,  and  register  him 
among  its  members,  as  duke,  prince,  peer,  marquis,  count,  viscount, 
juveigneur,  advocate,  knight,  vavasor,  high  baron,  second  baron,  and 
third  baron.  It  would  be  well,  too,  to  establish  a  professorship,  the 
holder  of  which  should  do  nothing  all  the  year,  but  explain  to  the  young 
the  card  of  invitation  to  the  Duke  de  la  Vauguyon's  funeral ;  without 
which  it  is  to  be  feared,  that  the  learning  necessary  for  its  perfect  com- 
prehension will  be  insensibly  lost,  and  the  card  may  become  in  time 
the  despair  of  critics." 

The  term  juveigneur,  for  instance,  is  little  known.  A  portioned  junior 
is  thus  termed  ;  the  Duke  d'Orleans  is  juveigneur  of  the  house  of  France. 
This  word  is  perhaps  a  corruption  of  the  word  junior,  by  which  the 
Caesars  of  the  Lower  Empire  called  those  whom  they  associated  with 
themselves  in  the  empire.  But  for  the  card  for  M.  de  la  Vauguyon's 
funeral,  we  should  have  lost  the  term  juveigneur  in  the  darkness  of  the 
times. — Note  by  the  Editor. 


130  MEMOIRS  OF 

Abbe*  de  Radonvilliers,*  his  preceptor,  a  learned,  mild,  and 
amiable  man,  had  given  him,  and  Monsieur  also,  a  taste  for 
study.  The  King  had  continued  to  instruct  himself;  he  knew 
the  English  language  perfectly.  I  have  often  heard  him  trans- 
late some  of  the  most  difficult  passages  in  Milton's  poem  :  he 
was  a  skilful  geographer,  and  was  fond  of  drawing  and  colouring 
maps ;  he  was  perfectly  well  versed  in  history,  but  had  not  per- 
haps sufficiently  studied  the  spirit  of  it.  He  relished  dramatic 
beauties,  and  was  a  judicious  critic  of  them.  At  Choisy,  one 
day,  several  ladies  strongly  expressed  their  di satisfaction,  be- 
cause the  French  actors  were  going  to  perform  one  of  Moliere's 
pieces  there :  the  King  inquired  of  them  why  they  disapproved 
of  the  choice  ?  One  of  them  answered,  that  every  one  must 
admit,  that  Moliere's  works  were  in  a  very  Lad  taste  ;  the  King 
replied,  that  many  things  might  be  found  in  Moliere  contrary 
to  fashion,  but  that  it  appeared  to  him  difficult  to  point  out  any 
in  bad  taste. 

This  prince  combined  with  his  attainments  the  qualities  of  a 
good  husband,  a  tender  father,  and  an  indulgent  master.  When 
we  think  of  so  many  virtues,  the  years  which  have  elapsed  since 
the  barbarities  of  faction  and  the  misfortunes  of  France,  seem  too 
short  to  allow  us  to  believe  that  depravity  could  ever  rise  to  the 
dreadful  height  which  it  attained  in  perpetrating  the  horrible 
crime  of  his  destruction. 

Unfortunately  the  King  showed  too  much  predilection  for  the 
mechanical  arts ;  masonry  and  lock-making  so  delighted  him, 
that  he  admitted  into  his  private  apartment,  a  common  lock-smith 
with  whom  he  made  keys  and  locks;  and  his  hands,  blackened 
by  that  sort  of  work,  were  often,  in  my  presence,  the  subject  of 
remonstrances  and  even  reproaches  from  the  Queen,  who  would 
have  chosen  other  amusements  for  the  King.j" 

*  One  of  the  forty  of  the  French  Academy. 

f  Louis  XVI.  saw  in  the  act  of  lock-making,  something  which  was 
capable  of  application  to  a  higher  study.  He  was  an  excellent  geogra- 
pher. The  most  valuable  and  complete  instrument  for  the  study  of 
that  science,  was  begun  by  his  orders  and  under  his  direction.  It  was 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  131 

Austere  and  rigid  with  regard  to  himself  alone,  respecting 
the  laws  of  the  church,  the  King  fulfilled  them  with  scrupu- 
lous exactness.  He  fasted  and  observed  abstinence  throughout 
the  whole  of  Lent.  He  did  not  wish  the  Queen  to  observe  these 
customs  with  the  same  strictness.  Though  he  was  sincerely 
pious,  the  wisdom  of  the  age  had  disposed  his  mind  to  tolera- 
tion. Modest  and  simple  in  his  habits,  Turgot,  Malesherbes  and 
Necker  judged,  that  a  prince  of  such  a  character  would  willingly 
sacrifice  the  royal  prerogative  for  the  solid  greatness  of  his  people. 
His  heart,  in  truth,  led  him  to  ideas  of  reform ;  but  his  prin- 
ciples, prejudices,  and  fears,  and  the  clamours  of  pious  and  privi- 
leged persons,  intimidated  him  and  made  him  abandon  the  plans 
which  his  love  for  the  people  had  suggested. 

Monsieur  had  more  dignity  of  demeanour  than  the  King ;  but 
his  size  and  corpulency  rendered  his  gait  inelegant.  He  was 
fond  of  pageantry  and  magnificence.  He  cultivated  the  belles- 
lettres,  and  under  borrowed  names  repeatedly  contributed  verses, 
of  which  he  himself  was  the  author,  to  the  Mercury  and  other 
papers.* 

an  immense  globe  of  copper,  which  is  still  in  existence,  though  unfinished, 
in  the  Mazarine  library.  Louis  XVI.  himself  invented  and  had  exe- 
cuted under  his  own  eyes  the  ingenious  mechanism  by  which  this  globe 
was  to  be  managed. 

A  man  who  asserts,  that  he  entered  into  his  private  apartment  after 
the  10th  of  August,  has  preserved,  respecting  the  arrangements  of  his 
cabinets,  books,  maps,  papers,  furniture,  and  the  tools  he  used,  a  crowd 
of  details  which  depict,  in  a  very  interesting  manner,  his  tastes, 
character,  occupations,  and  habits.  Such  details,  are,  to  the  private 
life  of  a  prince,  what  a  portrait  is  to  his  personal  likeness,  or  a  fac- 
simile to  his  hand-writing.  See  Historical  Illustrations,  letter  (M). 

Note  by  the  Editor. 

*  The  prince  of  whom  Madame  Campan  here  speaks,  always  loved  and 
protected  litrature.  The  judicious  favour  which  he  extended  to  talent, 
was  known  to  all  France.  During  a  tour  which  Monsieur  made  through 
various  provinces  of  the  kingdom,  he  visited  Toulouse.  After  the  par- 
liament had  harangued  the. prince,  says  a  work  of  that  period,  hig 
royal  highness,  in  order  to  show  particular  distinction  to  literature, 
received  the  homage  of  the  Academy  of  Floral  Games,  before  that  of 


182  MEMOIRS  OF 

His  wonderful  memory  was  the  handmaid  of  his  wit,  furnish- 
ing him  with  the  happiest  quotations.  He  knew  everything  by 
heart,  from  the  finest  passages  of  the  Latin  classics,  to  the  Latin 
of  all  the  prayers  ;  from  the  works  of  Racine,  to  the  Vaudeville 
of  "  Rose  et  Colas." 

The  Count  d'Artois  had  an  agreeable  countenance,  was  well 
made,  active  in  bodily  exercises,  lively,  sometimes  impetuous, 
fond  of  pleasure,  and  very  particular  in  his  dress. 

Some  happy  observations  made  by  him  were  repeated  with 
pleasure;  several  of  them  gave  a  favourable  idea  of  his  heart.* 

the  sovereign  courts.  The  Abbe  d'Auffreri,  counsellor  to  the  parlia- 
ment, spoke  in  the  name  of  the  Academy,  of  •which  he  was  a  member. 
"  It  is,"  said  he,  "the  duty  of  eloquence  and  poetry  to  describe  you, 
Monseigneur,  at  the  age  of  pleasure,  finding  your  chief  delight  in  retire- 
ment and  study,  and  sharing  that  enchanting  taste  with  the  august 
princess  whose  many  virtues  form  the  happiness  of  your  life."  At  the 
end  of  his  speech,  the  orator  eulogized  the  late  dauphin,  father  of  the 
King  and  his  brothers.  The  prince  was  affected  while  he  listened  to 
him,  and  when  the  Abbe  d'Auffreri  had  done  speaking,  he  approached 
him,  and  said  with  kindness,  "  I  thank  the  Academy  for  its  feelings  in 
my  favour;  I  have  long  known  its  celebrity;  and  you,  sir,  confirm 
the  idea  I  entertained  of  that  body ;  it  may  always  rely  upon  my  pro- 
tection." (Anecdotes  of  the  Reign  of  Louis  XVI.,  vol.  2,  p.  21  and  22). 

During  his  stay  at  Avignon,  Monsieur  lodged  with  the  Duke  de  Crillon ; 
he  refused  the  town-guard  which  was  offered  him,  saying,  "A  son  of 
France,  under  the  roof  of  a  Crillon,  needs  no  guard." 

Note  by  the  Editor. 

*  In  a  work  of  that  time,  there  is  to  be  found  a  reply  which  does 
honour  to  the  prince's  humanity.  The  question  was  respecting  the 
treatment  of  prisoners  ;  the  Count  d'Artois  insisted  that  their  adversity 
should  be  respected,  and  that  men  who  were  only  accused,  should  not 
be  made  to  undergo  the  treatment  of  culprits  convicted  by  the  laws. 
Upon  this  subject,  the  work  alluded  to  says  as  follows: — 

The  Abb6  de  Besplas,  a  celebrated  preacher,  delivered  a  sermon 
before  the  King,  the  subject  of  which  was,  on  the  marks  of  charity  in  a 
king.  The  following  passage  upon  jails,  made  a  most  lively  impression. 

"  Sire,  the  state  of  the  prisons  of  your  kingdom  would  draw  tears 
from  the  most  unfeeling  persons  who  should  visit  them. — A  place  of 
security  cannot,  without  flagrant  injustice,  become  the  abode  of  despair. 
Your  magistratej  endeavour  to  soften  the  condition  of  the  unfortunate  ; 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  133 

The  Parisians  liked  the  free  and  open  air  of  this  prince,  as  an 
attribute  of  the  French  character,  and  showed  real  affection  for 
him. 

The  empire  that  the  Queen  was  gaining  over  the  King's  mind, 
the  charms  of  a  society  in  which  Monsieur  displayed  the  graces 
of  his  wit,  and  to  which  the  Count  d'Artois  gave  life  by  the 
vivacity  of  youth,  gradually  softened  that  roughness  in  the  cha- 
racter of  Louis  XVI.,  which  a  better  conducted  education  might 
have  prevented. 

Still  this  defect  showed  itself  too  often,  and  in  spite  of  his  ex- 
treme simplicity,  the  King  inspired  those  who  had  occasion  to 
speak  to  him,  with  diffidence.  A  commendable  fear  made  those 
about  him  avoid  his  abrupt  sallies,  which  were  difficult  to  be  fore- 
seen. Courtiers,  submissive  in  the  presence  of  their  sovereign, 
are  only  the  more  ready  to  caricature  him;  with  little  good 
breeding,  they  called  these  answers,  which  they  so  much  dreaded, 
les  coups  de  boutoir  du  Roi.* 

but,  deprived  of  the  assistance  necessary  for  the  repair  of  these  infected 
caverns,  they  can  only  listen  to  the  complaints  of  the  wretched  iu 
melancholy  silence.  Yes,  sire,  I  have  seen  this,  and  my  zeal  compels 
me  here,  like  Paul,  to  do  honour  to  my  ministry ;  yes,  I  have  seen  pri- 
soners who,  covered  with  a  universal  leprosy,  arising  from  the  infection 
of  these  hideous  dens,  blessed  in  our  arms,  a  thousand  times,  the  mo- 
ment which  led  them  to  execution.  Great  God !  can  there  be  under  a 
good  prince,  subjects  who  long  for  the  scaffold  ?  Blessed  be  this  immor- 
tal day !  I  have  fulfilled  the  wish  of  my  heart,  that  of  depositing  this 
weight  of  grief  in  the  bosom  of  the  best  of  monarchs." 

It  was  observed  that  the  King  and  his  brothers  paid  the  greatest 
attention  to  this  passage.  Indeed  the  Count  d'Artois  made  an  excel- 
lent reply  on  the  subject  of  what  he  had  heard.  The  next  day,  as  he 
was  rising,  a  selfish  and  venial  courtier,  such  as  they  almost  all  are, 
was  foolish  enough  to  remark  that  the  Abbe"  de  Besplas  had  com- 
plained improperly,  of  the  manner  in  which  the  prisoners  were  treated 
in  the  jails,  since  it  might  be  considered  as  a  part  of  the  punishment 
which  their  crimes  deserved.  The  prince  then  interrupted  him,  indig- 
nantly exclaiming,  "How  is  it -known  that  they  are  guilty?  —  that  is 
never  known  till  the  sentence  is  passed." — Note  by  the  Editor. 

*  The  literal  meaning  of  the  phrase,  "  coup  de  boutoir,"  is  a  poke  from 


134  MEMOIRS  OF 

Methodical  in  all  his  habits,  the  King  always  went  to  bed  at 
eleven  precisely.  One  evening  the  Queen  was  going  with  her 
usual  circle  to  a  party,  either  at  the  Duke  de  Duras's  or  the 
Princess  de  Gue"meneVs.  The  hand  of  the  clock  was  slyly  put 
forward,  to  hasten  the  King's  departure  to  bed,  by  a  few  minutes ; 
ho  thought  in  good  earnest  that  bedtime  was  come,  retired, 
and  found  none  of  his  attendants  ready  to  wait  on  him.  This 
joke  became  known  in  all  the  drawing-rooms  of  Versailles,  and 
was  much  disapproved  of.  Kings  have  no  privacy.  Queens  have 
neither  closets  nor  boudoirs.  This  is  a  truth  that  cannot  be  too 
strongly  impressed  upon  them.  If  those  who  are  in  immediate 
attendance  upon  sovereigns,  be  not  of  themselves  disposed  to 
transmit  their  private  habits  to  posterity,  the  meanest  valet  will 
relate  what  he  has  seen  or  heard  ;  his  tales  circulate  rapidly,  and 
form  that  alarming  public  opinion  which  rises  gradually,  but 
keeps  increasing,  and,  at  length,  attaches  to  the  most  august 
persons,  characters  which,  however  often  they  may  be  false,  are 
almost  always  indelible. 

the  snout  of  a  boar.     Perhaps  the  English  expression,  nearest  in  sig- 
nfication,  is  "  a  rap  on  the  knuckles." — Tr. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  .35 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Severe  Winter — The  Princess  de  Lamballe  appointed  superintendent  of 
the  household — The  Countess  Jules  de  Polignac  appears  at  Court — 
Portrait  of  M.  de  Vaudreuil — Duke  and  Duchess  de  Duras — Fashion- 
able Games. 

THE  winter  following  the  confinement  of  the  Countess  d'Ar- 
tois  was  very  severe  :  the  Queen,  recollecting  the  pleasure  which 
sledge-parties  had  given  her  in  her  childhood,  wished  to  estab- 
lish similar  ones  in  France.  This  amusement  had  already  been 
seen  in  the  court  of  France ;  as  was  proved  by  the  circumstance 
that  sledges  were  found  in  the  stables  which  had  been  used  by 
the  dauphin,  the  father  of  Louis  XVI.,  in  his  youth.  Some 
were  constructed  for  the  Queen  in  a  more  modern  taste.  The 
princes  likewise  ordered  several ;  and  in  a  few  days  there  was  a 
tolerable  number  of  these  vehicles.  They  were  driven  by  the 
princes  and  noblemen  of  the  court.  The  noise  of  the  bells  and 
balls  with  which  the  harnesses  of  the  horses  were  furnished — 
the  elegance  and  whiteness  of  their  plumes — the  variety  of 
forms  in  the  carriages — the  gold  with  which  they  were  all  orna- 
mented—  rendered  these  parties  delightful  to  the  eye.  The 
winter  was  very  favourable  to  them,  the  snow  remaining  on  the 
ground  nearly  six  weeks  :  the  races  in  the  park  afforded  a  plea- 
sure shared  by  the  spectators.*  No  one  imagined  that  any 
blame  could  attach  to  so  innocent  an  amusement.  But  the 

*  Louis  XVI.,  touched  with  the  wretched  condition  of  the  poor  of 
Versailles  during  the  winter  of  1776,  had  several  cart-loads  of  wood 
distributed  among  them.  Seeing,  one  day,  a  file  of  those  vehicles  pass- 
ing by,  while  several  noblemen  were  preparing  to  be  drawn  swiftly 
over  the  ice,  he  said  these  memorable  words  to  them :  Gentlemen,  here 
are  my  sledges ! — Note  by  the  Editor. 

VOL.  I. — 13 


•36  MEMOIRS  OF 

party  were  tempted  to  extend  their  rides  as  far  as  the  Champs 
Elyse"es ;  a  few  sledges  even  crossed  the  boulevards  :  the  ladies 
being  masked,  the  Queen's  enemies  did  not  omit  the  oppor- 
tunity of  saying,  that  the  Queen  had  traversed  the  streets  of 
Paris  in  a  sledge. 

This  became  a  matter  of  moment.  The  public  discovered  in 
such  a  fashion,  a  predilection  for  the  habits  of  Vienna  :  and  yet 
sledge-parties  were  not  a  new  fashion  at  Versailles.  But  all 
that  Marie  Antoinette  did  was  criticised.  Factions  formed  in 
courts  do  not  openly  carry  different  insignia,  as  do  those  gene- 
rated by  revolutionary  convulsions.  They  are  not,  however,  on 
that  account,  the  less  dangerous  for  those  whom  they  pursue ; 
and  the  Queen  was  never  without  a  party  against  her. 

Sledge-driving,  which  savours  of  the  custom  of  the  northern 
courts,  had  no  success  among  the  Parisians.  The  Queen  was 
informed  of  this ;  and  although  all  the  sledges  were  preserved, 
and  several  subsequent  winters  proved  favourable  to  the  amuse- 
ment, she  would  not  pursue  it  any  further. 

It  was  at  the  time  of  the  sledge-parties  that  the  Queen  became 
intimate  with  the  Princess  de  Lamballe,  who  made  her  appear- 
ance in  them,  wrapped  in  fur,  with  all  the  brilliancy  and  fresh- 
ness of  the  age  of  twenty  :  she  looked  like  Spring,  peeping  from 
under  sable  and  ermine.  Her  situation,  moreover,  rendered  her 
peculiarly  interesting :  married,  when  she  was  scarcely  past 
childhood,  to  a  young  prince,  who  ruined  himself  by  the  conta- 
gious example  of  the  Duke  d' Orleans,  she  had  had  from  the 
time  of  her  arrival  in  France,  a  constant  succession  of  calami- 
ties. A  widow  at  eighteen,  and  childless,  she  lived  with  mon- 
sieur the  Duke  de  Penthievre,  upon  the  footing  of  an  adopted 
daughter.  She  had  the  tenderest  respect,  and  attachment  for 
that  venerable  prince  :  but  the  Queen,  though  doing  justice,  as 
well  as  the  princesses,  to  his  virtues,  saw  that  the  Duke  de  Pen- 
thievre's  way  of  living,  whether  at  Paris  or  at  his  country  seat, 
could  neither  afford  his  young  daughter  in-law  the  amusements 
of  her  time  of  life,  nor  insure  her,  for  the  future,  an  establish- 
ment such  as  she  was  deprived  of  by  her  widowhood.  She 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  137 

determined,  therefore,  to  establish  her  at  Versailles;  and,  for 
her  sake,  revived  the  office  of  superintendent,  which  had  been 
discontinued  at  court  from  the  time  of  the  death  of  Mademoiselle 
de  Clermont.  It  is  said  that  Maria  Leckzinska  had  decided  that 
this  place  should  continue  vacant;  the  superintendent  having 
so  extensive  a  power  in  the  houses  of  Queens,  as  to  be  frequently 
a  restraint  upon  their  inclinations.  Differences,  which  soon 
took  place  between  Marie  Antoinette  and  the  Princess  de  Lam- 
balle,  respecting  the  official  prerogatives  of  the  latter,  proved 
that  the  wife  of  Louis  XV.  had  acted  judiciously  in  abolishing 
the  office ;  but  a  kind  of  petty  treaty,  made  between  the  Queen 
and  the  princess,  smoothed  all  difficulties.  The  blame  of  too 
obstinate  an  assertion  of  claims,  fell  upon  a  secretary  of  the 
superintendent's,  who  had  been  her  adviser;  and  everything 
was  so  arranged,  that  a  firm  and  lively  friendship  reigned  be- 
tween these  two  princesses,  down  to  the  disastrous  period  which 
terminated  their  career.* 

Notwithstanding  the  enthusiasm  which  the  splendour,  graces, 
and  goodness  of  the  Queen  generally  inspired,  silent  intrigues 
continued  in  operation  against  her.  A  very  short  time  after  the 
accession  of  Louis  XVI.  to  the  throne,  the  minister  of  the 
King's  household  was  informed  that  a  most  offensive  libel 
against  the  Queen  was  about  to  appear.  The  lieutenant  of 
police  deputed  a  man,  named  Goupil,  an  inspector  of  police,  to 
bring  to  light  this  libel :  he  came,  soon  after,  to  say  that  he  had 
found  out  the  place  where  the  work  was  being  printed,  and  that 
it  was  at  a  country  house,  near  Yverdun.  He  had  already  got 
possession  of  two  sheets,  which  contained  the  most  atrocious 
calumnies,  but  conveyed  with  a  degree  of  art  which  might  make 
them  very  dangerous  to  the  Queen's  reputation.  This  Goupil 
said  that  he  oould  obtain  the  rest,  but  that  he  should  want  a 
considerable  sum  for  that  purpose.  Three  thousand  louis  were 
given  him,  and  very  soon  afterwards  he  brought  the  whole 
manuscript,  and  all  that  had  been  printed,  to  the  lieutenant  of 

*  See  the  historical  illustrations  given  by  Madame  Campan,  respect- 
ing the  Queen's  household.  (No.  1.) — Note  by  the  Editor. 


138  MEMOIRS  OF 

police.  He  received  a  thousand  louis  more  as  a  reward  for  his 
address  and  zeal ;  and  a  much  more  important  office  was  about 
to  be  given  him,  when  another  spy,  envious  of  Goupil's  good 
fortune,  gave  information  that  Goupil  himself  was  the  author  of 
the  libel ;  that,  ten  years  before,  he  had  been  put  into  the  Bice- 
tre  for  theft ;  and  that  Madame  Goupil  had  only  been  -three 
years  out  of  the  Salpetriere,  where  she  had  been  placed  under 
another  name.  This  Madame  Goupil  was  very  pretty  and  very 
intriguing ;  she  had  found  means  to  form  an  intimacy  with  Car- 
dinal de  Rohan,  whom  she  led,  it  is  said,  to  hope  for  a  recon- 
ciliation with  the  Queen.  All  this  affair  was  hushed  up,  and  no 
account  of  it  got  abroad  :  but  it  shows  that  it  was  the  Queen's 
fate  to  be  incessantly  attacked  by  the  meanest  and  most  odious 
machinations. 

Another  woman,  named  Cahoutte  de  Villers,  whose  husband 
held  the  office  of  one  of  the  treasurers  of  France,  being  very  irre- 
gular in  conduct,  and  of  a  scheming  turn  of  mind,  conceived  the 
mad  wish  to  appear,  in  the  eyes  of  her  friends  at  Paris,  as  a 
person  in  favour  at  court,  whither  she  was  not  entitled  to  go 
either  by  birth  or  office.  During  the  latter  years  of  the  life  of 
Louis  XV.,  she  had  made  many  dupes,  and  picked  up  consider- 
able sums  by  passing  herself  off  for  the  King's  mistress.  The 
fear  of  irritating  Madame  du  Barry  was,  according  to  herself, 
the  only  thing  which  prevented  her  enjoying  that  title  openly : 
she  came  regularly  to  Versailles,  kept  herself  concealed  in  a 
furnished  lodging,  and  her  dupes  imagined  she  was  called  to 
court  by  secret  motives.  This  woman  formed  the  scheme  of 
getting  admission,  if  possible,  to  the  presence  of  the  Queen,  or 
at  least  of  establishing  probabilities  which  might  enable  her  to 
cause  it  to  be  believed.  She  took,  for  her  lover,  Gabriel  de 
Saint  Charles,  intendant  of  her  majesty's  finances;  an  office,  the 
privileges  of  which  were  confined  to  the  right  of  entering  the 
Queen's  apartment  on  a  Sunday.  Madame  de  Villers  came 
every  Saturday  to  Versailles  with  M.  de  Saint  Charles,  and 
lodged  in  his  apartment ;  M.  Campan  was  there  several  times ; 
she  minted  tolerably  well ;  she  requested  him  to  do  her  the 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  139 

favour  to  present  to  the  Queen  a  portrait  of  her  majesty  which 
she  had  just  copied.  M.  Campan  knew  the  woman's  conduct, 
and  refused  her.  A  few  days  after,  he  saw  on  her  majesty's 
couch  the  portrait  which  he  had  declining  presenting  to  her ; 
the  Queen  thought  it  ill  painted,  and  gave  orders  that  it  should 
be  carried  back  to  the  Princess  de  Lamballe,  who  had  sent  it  to 
her.  Madame  de  Villers  had  succeeded  in  her  project  through 
the  medium  of  the  princess.  The  ill  success  of  the  portrait  did 
not  deter  the  scheming  woman  from  following  up  the  design  she 
had  formed,  of  making  it  believed  that  she  was  admitted  to  an 
intimacy  with  the  Queen :  she  easily  procured,  through  M.  de 
Saint  Charles,  patents  and  orders  signed  by  her  majesty;  she 
then  set  about  imitating  her  writing,  and  composed  a  great 
number  of  notes  and  letters,  as  if  written  by  her  majesty,  in  the 
tenderest  and  most  familiar  style.  For  several  months,  she 
showed  them  as  great  secrets  to  several  of  her  particular  friends. 
Afterwards,  she  made  the  Queen  appear  to  write  to  her,  as  be- 
fore, to  procure  her  various  fancy  articles.  Under  the  pretext 
of  wishing  to  execute  her  majesty's  commissions  faithfully,  she 
gave  these  letters  to  the  tradesmen  to  read;  and  succeeded  in 
having  it  said,  in  several  houses,  that  the  Queen  had  a  particu- 
lar kindness  for  her.  She  then  enlarged  her  scheme,  and  repre- 
sented the  Queen  as  desiring  her  to  borrow  200,000  francs  which 
she  had  need  of,  but  which  she  did  not  wish  to  ask  of  the  King, 
from  his  private  funds.  This  letter  being  shown  to  M.  Beranger, 
farmer-general,  took  effect;  he  thought  himself  fortunate  in 
being  able  to  render  this  assistance  to  his  sovereign,  and  lost  no 
time  in  sending  the  200,000  francs  to  Madame  de  Villers.  This 
first  step  was  followed  by  some  doubts,  which  he  communicated 
to  people  better  informed  than  himself,  of  what  was  passing  at 
court ;  and  who  added  to  his  uneasiness :  he  then  went  to  M. 
de  Sartine,  who  unravelled  the  whole  plot. — The  woman  was 
sent  to  Saint  Pelagie ,  and  the  unfortunate  husband  was  ruined, 
by  replacing  the  sum  borrowed,  and  paying  for  the  jewels  fraud- 
ulently purchased  in  the  Queen's  name :  the  forged  letters  were 
sent  to  her  majesty;  I  compared  them,  in  her  presence,  with 
13* 


140  MEMOIRS  OF 

the  real  handwriting,  and  the  only  distinguishable  difference 
was  a  little  more  regularity  in  the  disposition  of  the  letters. 

This  trick,  discovered  and  punished  with  prudence  and  cool- 
ness, produced  no  more  sensation  out  of  doors,  than  that  of  the 
inspector  Groupil. 

If  the  spirit  of  independence,  spread  through  the  nation,  had 
already  shorn  the  throne  of  some  of  its  dazzling  beams ;  if  a 
party,  formed  in  the  very  bosom  of  the  court,  was  struggling  to 
overthrow  an  Austrian  princess,  without  reflecting  that  the  blows 
aimed  at  her,  equally  tended  to  shake  the  throne  itself;  it  will, 
I  must  confess,  be  urged  that  it  was  the  duty  of  that  princess  to 
be  circumspect  in  her  every  step,  and  to  render  her  conduct 
unassailable  :  but  let  not  her  youth,  her  inexperience,  and  her 
friendless  situation,  be  forgotten.  No ;  she  was  not  guilty  ;  the 
Abbe  de  Vermond  was  always  the  Queen's  sole  guide ;  at  an 
age,  and  invested  with  a  right  to  represent  to  her  how  important 
the  consequences  of  her  slightest  levities  might  be,  still  he  did 
not  make  that  representation ;  and  she  continued,  while  on  the 
throne,  to  seek  the  pleasures  of  private  society,  with  increasing 
eagerness. 

A  year  after  the  nomination  of  the  Princess  de  Lamballe  to 
the  post  of  superintendent  of  the  Queen's  household,  balls  and 
quadrilles  gave  rise  to  the  intimacy  of  her  majesty  with  the 
Countess  Jules  de  Polignac.  This  lady  really  interested  Marie 
Antoinette.  She  was  not  rich,  and  generally  lived  upon  her 
estate,  at  Claye.  The  Queen  was  astonished  at  not  having  seen 
her  at  court  earlier.  The  confession  that  her  want  of  fortune 
had  even  prevented  her  appearance  at  the  celebration  of  the 
marriages  of  the  princes,  added  to  the  interest  which  she  had 
inspired. 

The  Queen  was  full  of  sensibility,  and  took  delight  in  coun- 
teracting the  injustice  of  fortune. — The  countess  was  induced  to 
come  to  court  by  her  husband's  sister,  Madame  Diana  de  Polig- 
nac. who  had  been  appointed  lady  of  honour  to  the  Countess 
d'Artois.  The  Countess  Jules  was  truly  fond  of  a  tranquil  life; 
the  impression  she  made  at  court  affected  her  but  little ;  she  felt 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE. 

only  the  attachment  manifested  for  her  by  the  Queen.  I  had 
occasion  to  see  her  at  the  very  commencement  of  her  favour  at 
court ;  she  repeatedly  passed  an  hour  with  me,  while  waiting  for 
the  Queen.  She  conversed  with  me  freely  and  ingenuously, 
about  all  that  she  saw  of  honour,  and  at  the  same  time  of 
danger,  in  the  kindness  of  which  she  was  the  object.  The 
Queen  sought  for  the  sweets  of  friendship ;  but  can  this  gratifi- 
cation, so  rare  in  any  rank,  exist  at  all  in  its  purity  between  a 
Queen  and  a  subject,  when  they  are  surrounded,  moreover,  by 
snares  laid  by  the  artifices  of  courtiers  ?  This  very  pardonable 
error  was  fatal  to  the  happiness  of  Marie  Antoinette,  for  happi- 
ness is  not  to  be  found  in  illusion. 

The  retiring  character  of  the  Countess  Jules,  afterwards 
Duchess  de  Polignac,  cannot  be  spoken  of  too  favourably;  I 
always  considered  her  the  victim  of  an  elevation  which  she 
never  sought :  but  if  her  heart  was  incapable  of  forming  ambi- 
tious projects,  her  family  and  friends  beheld  their  own  fortune 
in  hers,  and  endeavoured  to  fix  the  favour  of  the  Queen 
permanently. 

The  Countess  Diana,  sister  of  M.  de  Polignac,  and  the  Baron 
de  Besenval  and  M.  de  Vaudreuil,  particular  friends  of  the 
Polignac  family,  made  use  of  means,  the  success  of  which  was 
infallible.  One  of  my  friends  (the  Count  Demoustier,  who  was 
in  their  secret)  came  to  tell  me  that  Madame  de  Polignac  was 
about  to  quit  Versailles  suddenly ;  that  she  would  take  leave  of 
the  Queen  only  in  writing ;  that  the  Countess  Diana  and  M.  de 
Vaudreuil  had  dictated  her  letter,  and  that  the  whole  affair  was 
arranged  for  the  purpose  of  stimulating  the  hitherto  unprofitable 
attachment  of  Marie  Antoinette.  The  next  day,  when  I  went 
up  to  the  palace,  I  found  the  Queen  with  a  letter  in  her  hand, 
which  she  was  reading  with  much  emotion :  it  was  the  letter 
from  the  Countess  Jules;  the  Queen  showed  it  to  me.  The 
countess  expressed  in  it  her  grief  at  leaving  a  princess  who  had 
loaded  her  with  kindness.  The  narrowness  of  her  fortune  dic- 
tated the  necessity  of  her  doing  so ;  but  she  was  much  more 
strongly  impelled  by  the  fear  that  the  Queen's  friendship,  after 


142  MEMOIRS  OF 

having  raised  up  dangerous  enemies  against  her,  might  abandon 
her  to  their  hatred,  and  to  the  regret  of  having  lost  the  august 
favour  of  which  she  was  then  the  object. 

This  step  produced  the  full  effect  that  had  been  expected  from 
it.  A  young  and  susceptible  Queen  cannot  long  bear  the  idea 
of  contradiction.  She  determined  more  firmly  than  ever,  to 
settle  the  Countess  Jules  near  herself,  by  making  such  a  provi- 
sion for  her  as  should  place  her  beyond  anxiety.  Her  disposition 
vra*  just  what  the  Queen  liked  :  she  had  merely  natural  talents, 
no  presumption,  no  affectation  of  knowledge.  She  was  of  the 
middling  size;  her  complexion  very  fair,  her  eyebrows  and  hair 
dark  brown,  her  teeth  of  dazzling  whiteness,  her  smile  enchant- 
ing, and  her  whole  person  beaming  with  grace.  She  disliked 
dress,  and  was  seen  almost  always  in  an  undress,  remarkable 
only  for  its  neatness  and  good  taste ;  nothing  upon  her  appeared 
placed  with  design,  nor  even  with  care.  I  do  not  think  I  ever 
once  saw  diamonds  about  her,  even  at  the  highest  pitch  of  her 
fortune,  and  when  she  enjoyed  the  rank  of  duchess  at  court :  I 
always  thought  that  her  sincere  attachment  for  the  Queen,  as 
much  as  her  love  of  simplicity,  induced  her  to  avoid  everything 
that  might  raise  a  belief  of  her  being  a  wealthy  favourite.  She 
had  not  one  of  the  failings  which  usually  accompany  that  title. 
She  loved  the  persons  who  shared  the  Queen's  affections,  and 
was  entirely  free  from  jealousy.  Marie  Antoinette  flattered 
herself  that  the  Countess  Jules  and  the  Princess  de  Lamballe 
would  be  her  especial  friends,  and  that  she  should  possess  a 
society  formed  of  her  own  taste.  "  I  will  receive  them  in  my 
closet,  or  at  Trianon,"  said  she  :  "I  will  enjoy  the  comforts  of 
private  life,  which  exist  not  for  us,  unless  we  have  the  resolution 
to  secure  them  for  ourselves."  My  memory  faithfully  recalls  to 
me  all  the  charms  which  so  pleasing  an  illusion  held  out  to  the 
Queen,  in  a  scheme,  of  which  she  fathomed  neither  the  impos- 
sibility nor  the  dangers.  The  happiness  she  thought  to  secure 
was  only  destined  to  cause  her  vexation.  All  those  courtiers 
who  were  not  admitted  into  this  intimacy,  became  so  many 
jealous  and  vindictive  enemies. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  143 

It  was  necessary  to  make  a  suitable  provision  for  the  ccmniess. 
The  place  of  first  equerry,  in  reversion  after  the  Count  de  1'esse", 
being  given  to  Count  Jules  unknown  to  the  holder,  displeased 
the  family  of  Noailles.  This  family  had  just  sustained  another 
mortification;  the  appointment  of  the  Princess  de  Lamballe 
having,  in  some  degree,  rendered  the  resignation  of  the  Countess 
de  Noailles  necessary,  whose  husband  was  thereupon  made  a 
marshal  of  France.  The  Princess  de  Lamballe,  although  she 
did  not  quarrel  with  the  Queen,  was  alarmed  at  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Countess  Jules  at  court,  and  did  not  form,  as  her 
majesty  had  hoped,  a  part  of  that  intimate  society  which  was 
composed  in  succession,  of  Mesdames  Jules  and  Diana  de  Polig- 
nac, D'Andlau,  and  De  Chalon;  and  Messieurs  De  Guignes, 
Coigny,  D'Adhemar,  De  Besenval,  lieutenant-colonel  of  the 
Swiss,  De  Polignac,  De  Vaudreuil,  and  De  Guiche :  the  Prince 
de  Ligne,  and  the  Duke  of  Dorset,  the  English  ambassador, 
were  also  admitted. 

It  was  a  long  time  before  the  Countess  Jules  maintained  any 
great  state  at  court.  The  Queen  contented  herself  with  giving 
her  a  fine  suite  of  apartments  at  the  top  of  the  marble  staircase. 
The  salary  of  first  equerry,  the  trifling  emoluments  derived  from 
M.  de  Polignac' s  regiment,  added  to  their  slender  patrimony, 
and  perhaps  some  small  pension,  at  that  time  formed  the  whole 
fortune  of  the  favourite.  I  never  saw  the  Queen  make  her  a 
present  of  real  worth  ;  I  was  even  astonished  one  day,  at  hearing 
her  majesty  mention,  with  pleasure,  that  the  Countess  had  gained 
ten  thousand  francs  in  the  lottery.  "  She  was  in  great  want  of 
it/'  added  the  Queen. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen,  that  the  Polignacs  were  not  settled  at 
court  in  any  degree  of  splendour  which  could  justify  the  mur- 
muring of  others.  The  Noailles,  however,  had  perhaps  reason 
to  feel  hurt  on  the  occasion ;  they  had  some  right  to  the  rever- 
sion after  the  Count  de  Tess6 :  the  restoration  of  the  office  of 
superintendent  had  been  likewise  mortifying  to  the  Countess  de 
Noailles,  who,  finding  a  superior  set  over  her,  had  retired.  This 
family,  which  had  great  weight  at  court,  was  not,  however,  the 


144  MEMOIRS  OF 

only  one  which  the  advancement  of  the  Count  de  Polignac  in- 
censed against  Marie  Antoinette.  Whatever  one  courtier  sees 
obtained  by  others,  always  appears  to  him  a  spoliation  of  his 
own  property — that  is  a  rule.  In  this  instance,  however,  tho 
substantial  part  of  the  favours  bestowed  upon  the  Polignucs 
was  less  envied,  than  the  intimacy  which  was  about  to  be  esta- 
blished, between  them  and  their  dependants,  and  the  Queen.  In 
the  society  of  the  Countess  Jules,  was  seen  an  opening  to  the 
acquisition  of  favour,  places,  and  embassies.  Those  who  had  no 
hope  of  introduction  into  that  society,  were  irritated. 

Madame  de  Polignac' s  drawing-room  did  Marie  Antoinette 
much  mischief;  it  increased  the  malice  of  her  enemies.  How- 
ever, at  the  time  I  speak  of,  the  society  around  the  Countess 
Jules,  fully  engaged  in  strengthening  the  Queen's  attachment  to 
her,  was  far  from  interfering  in  serious  matters,  to  which  the 
young  Queen,  indeed,  was  yet  a  stranger.  To  gratify  her  was 
the  leading  object  of  all  the  favourite's  friends.  The  Marquis 
de  Vaudreuil  was  a  conspicuous  member  of  the  circle  of  the 
Countess  Jules ;  he  was  a  shining  wit,  the  friend  and  protector 
of  the  fine  arts.  He  had  a  long  list  of  proteges  among  men 
of  letters,  and  celebrated  artists.* 

*  M.  de  Vaudreuil  was  passionately  fond  of  the  arts  and  of  litera- 
ture :  he  preferred  encouraging  them  as  an  amateur,  rather  than  ns  a 
man  of  consequence.  He  gave  a  dinner  every  week  to  a  party  consist- 
ing only  of  literary  characters  and  artists.  The  evening  was  spent  in  a 
saloon  furnished  with  musical  instruments,  pencils,  colours,  brushes, 
and  pens ;  and  every  one  composed,  or  painted,  or  wrote,  according  to  his 
taste  or  genius.  M.  de  Vaudreuil  himself  pursued  several  of  the  fine 
arts.  His  voice  was  very  pleasing,  and  he  was  a  good  musician.  These 
accomplishments  made  him  sought  after,  from  his  earliest  entrance  into 
society.  The  first  time  he  visited  Madame  la  Marechale  de  Luxembourg, 
that  lady  said  to  him  after  supper  :  "  I  am  told,  sir,  that  you  sing  very 
well.  I  should  be  delighted  to  hear  you.  But  if  you  do  oblige  me  so 
far,  pray  do  not  sing  any  fine  piece — no  cantata — but  some  street  ballad 
— just  a  mere  street  song.  I  like  a  natural  style — something  lively — 
something  cheerful."  M.  de  Vaudreuil  begged  leave  to  sing  a  street 
ballad  then  much  in  vogue.  He  did  not  know  that  Madame  la  Mare- 
chale de  Luxembourg  was,  before  her  widowhood,  Countess  de  Boufflers. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  145 

The  Baron  de  Besenval  preserved  all  the  plainness  of  the 
Swiss,  to  which  he  added  all  the  cunning  of  a  French  courtier. 
The  fifty  years  he  had  numbered,  and  the  gray  hairs  on  his  head, 
made  him  enjoy  among  women  all  that  confidence  inspired  by 

He  sang  out  with  a  loud  and  sonorous  voice  the  first  line  of  the  couplet, 
beginning,  "When  Bouffiers  was  first  seen  at  court."  The  company 
immediately  began  coughing  and  sneezing.  M.  de  Vaudreuil  went  on. 
"Venus'  self  shone  less  beauteous  than  she  did." — The  noise  and  con- 
fusion increased.  But  after  the  third  line,  "To  please  her  all  eagerly 
sought," — M.  de  Vaudreuil,  perceiving  that  all  eyes  were  fixed  upon 
him,  paused.  "  Pray  go  on,  sir,"  said  Madame  la  Marechale,  singing 
the  last  line  herself:  "And  too  well  in  his  turn  each  succeeded."  M. 
de  Besenval's  remarks  respecting  Madame  de  Luxembourg  render  the 
anecdote  plausible.  But  perhaps,  in  such  a  delicate  dilemma,  she  may 
be  considered  as  having  given  a  proof  of  presence  of  mind,  rather  than 
of  impudence.* 

»  The  Marquis  de  Gouffier,  who  was  present  on  this  occasion,  tells  the  story  in  a 
very  different  way.  According  to  his  version,  the  conversation  turned  on  old  Time's 
ravages  on  beauty,  when  M.  de  Vaudreuil  said,  turning  towards  Madame  de  Luxem- 
bourg, "As  to  you,  madame,  he  spared  you — we  still  see  that  beauty  which  turned 
all  the  heads  at  court,  and  has  been  celebrated  by  our  best  poets."  "  Yes,"  said  the 
old  lady  gayly,  "  I  remember  when  I  first  came  out,  there  were  a  few  songs  written 
in  my  praise — there  was  this,  for  instance — "  and  she  began  singing : 

"  When  Boufflers  was  first  seen  at  court, 
Venus'  self  shone  less  beauteous  than  she  did.— 
To  please  her  all  eagerly  sought" — 

Here  she  stopped,  and  did  not  give  the  last  line, 

"And  too  well  in  his  turn  each  succeeded." 

<<  Go  on,  Madame  la  Marechale,"  said  De  Vaudreuil.  "  Ah !"  said  she  smiling,  "  all 
that  was  so  long  ago,  that  I  remember  no  more  of  it." 

The  anecdote,  thus  told,  clears  both  Vaudreuil  and  the  lady,  of  the  imputation  of 
impudence  cast  upon  them  by  the  French  editors. — English  Editor. 

M.  de  Vaudreuil  succeeded  well  in  the  world  by  his  wit  and  accomplishments. 
With  women,  his  conversation  was  very  delightful  and  amusing,  if  we  may  credit 
an  observation  of  the  Princess  d'Henin,  recorded  by  Madame  Genlis,  in  her  Souve- 
nirs de  Felicie : — 

"  I  saw  Le  Kain  giving'  a  lesson  to  a  young  theatrical  debutant  to-day.  In  the 
midst  of  his  speech,  the  Tyro  seized  the  arm  of  his  princess.  Le'Kain,  displeased  at 
the  action,  said  to  him,  '  Sir,  if  you  wish  to  appear  in  earnest,  you  must  seem  to  be 
afraid  of  touching  even  the  dress  of  the  object  of  your  affections.' 

"What  feeling,  what  delicate  tact,  this  observation  shows.  This  inestimable 
actor's  performance  always  shows  these  qualities.  Well  might  Madame  d'Henin 
say,  '  I  am  acquainted  with  but  two  men  who  know  how  to  converse  with  females 
— Le  Kain  and  M.  de  Vaudreuil.'  " — Note  by  the  Editor. 


146  MEMOIRS  OF 

maturity  of  age,  although  he  had  not  quite  given  up  the  thoughts 
of  love  intrigues.  He  talked  of  his  native  mountains  with 
enthusiasm.  He  would  willingly,  at  any  time,  sing  the  "  Ranz 
des  vaches"  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  and  was  the  best  story-teller 
in  the  Countess  Jules's  circle.  The  last  new  song,  the  repartee 
of  the  day,  and  the  ordinary  little  tattling  tales,  were  the  sole 
topics  of  conversation  in  the  Queen's  parties.  Learning  was 
proscribed  in  them.  The  Countess  Diana,  more  inclined  to 
literary  pursuits  than  her  sister-in-law,  one  day  recommended 
her  to  read  the  Iliad  and  Odyssey.  The  latter  replied  laughing, 
that  she  was  perfectly  acquainted  with  the  Greek  poet,  and  said, 
to  prove  it, 

Homere  etait  aveugle  et  jouait  du  hautbois.* 
Homer  was  blind  and  played  on  the  hautboy. 

*  This  lively  repartee  of  the  Duchess  de  Polignac,  is  a  droll  imitation 
of  a  line  in  the  Mercure  Galant.  In  the  quarrel  scene,  one  of  the  law- 
yers says  to  his  brother  quill — 

Ton-plrt  e"tait  aveugle  et  jouait  du  hautbois. 
Your  father  was  blind  and  played  on  the  hautboy. 

It  was  impossible  that  the  Duchess  de  Polignac,  with  her  wit  and  re- 
fined taste,  should  do  otherwise  than  highly  value  learning;  but  the 
following  anecdote  conveys  a  poor  idea  of  the  education  of  some  of  the 
men  admitted  into  her  society: — 

"  In  1781  the  Duchess  de  Polignac  was  pregnant ;  and  in  order  to  be 
nearer  at  hand  to  pay  her  respects  to  the  Queen,  she  requested  Madame 
de  Boufflers  to  let  her  her  house,  called  D'Auteuil,  and  famous  for  its 
gardens  a  F Anglais.  Madame  de  Boufflers,  who  was  very  fond  of  her 
country  house,  endeavoured  to  remain  in  it  without  disobliging  the 
duchess,  and  replied  in  the  following  lines : — 

Around  you  all  are  sedulous  to  please ; 
Your  tranquil  days  roll  on  in  cloudless  ease ; 
Empire  to  you  is  but  the  source  of  joy, 
Or  if  some  grief  awhile  the  charm  destroy, 
Attentive  courtiers,  with  assiduous  art, 
Banish  the  transient  feeling  from  your  heart. 
Far  otherwise  with  me ;  if  sorrows  press, 
Here,  lonely,  no  one  shares  in  my  distress ; 
My  only  solace  are  these  fragrant  flowers, 
Whose  rich  perfumes  beguile  my  heavy  hours. 


MARIE   ANTOINETTE.  147 

The  Queen  found  this  sort  of  humour  very  much  to  her  taste, 
and  said  that  no  pedant  had  ever  been  her  friend. 

The  splendour  of  the  house  of  Polignac  was  not  at  its  height, 
until  several  years  after  the  period  of  which  I  have  just  spoken; 
and  the  Queen  did  not  make  a  practice  of  spending  a  part  of 
each  day  at  the  house  of  the  duchess,  until  the  latter  had  suc- 
ceeded the  Princess  de  Gruemenee,  in  the  capacity  of  governess 
of  the  children  of  France,  and  the  duke  had  become  both  super- 
intendent of  the  post,  and  first  equerry. 

Before  the  Queen  fixed  her  assemblies  at  Madame  de  Polig- 
nac's,  she  occasionally  passed  the  evening  at  the  house  of  the 
Duke  and  Duchess  de  Durasj  they  had  always  a  brilliant  party 
of  young  persons  to  meet  her.  They  introduced  a  taste  for  tri- 
fling games,  such  as  question  and  answer,  guerre  panpan,  blind- 
man's  buff,  and  especially  a  game  called  descampativos. 

The  people  of  Paris,  continually  criticising,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  constantly  imitating  the  practices  of  the  court,  were 
infected  with  the  mania  for  these  childish  sports.  The  rage  for 
descampativos  and  guerre  panpan,  extended  to  every  house 
where  many  young  women  were  assembled. 

Madame  de  Genlis,  in  one  of  her  plays,  written  with  an  inten- 
tion to  sketch  the  follies  of  the  day,  speaks  of  these  famous 
d:scampativo»f  and  also  of  the  fashion  of  making  a  friend, 
called  the  inseparable,  until  a  whim,  or  the  slightest  indiffer- 
ence, produced  a  total  rupture. 

"  Madame  de  Polignac  showed  these  lines,  and  her  flatterers,  thinking 
they  were  written  by  Madame  de  Boufflers,  pronounced  them  good  for 
nothing.  Of  course  the  decision  of  the  duchess's  friends  was  carried  to 
Madame  laMarechale.  "I  am  sorry  then,"  said  she,  "  for  poor  Racine ; 
for  the  lines  are  his." 

In  fact  the  lines  will  be  found  in  Britannicus,  Act  2,  Scene  3.  They 
are  addressed  to  Nero  by  Junia.  Madame  de  Boufflers  had  merely 
made  a  slight  alteration  in  the  four  last  lines,  where  the  name  of 
Britannicus  is  introduced. 

We  take  this  anecdote  from  the  Secret  Correspondence. 

Note  by  the  Editor 

VOL.   I. 14 


148  MEMOIRS  OF 


CHAPTER  VII. 

The  Duke  de  Choiseul  returns  to  Court — The  Queen  obtains  a  pension 
of  1200  francs  for  Chamfort — She  invites  Gluck  to  France  and  patron- 
izes music  successfully — Encouragement  given  to  the  Art  of  Printing 
— Turgot :  M.  de  Saint  Germain — Amusement  at  Court — Particulars 
of  the  Household — Masked  Balls  at  the  Opera — The  Queen  goes  there 
one  day  in  a  Fiacre;  slanderous  reports  upon  the  subject — The  Heron 
plume — Portrait  of  the  Duke  de  Lauzun — The  Queen's  attachment  to 
the  Princess  de  Lamballe  and  the  Duchess  de  Polignac — Anecdote  of 
the  Abbe  dc  Vermond. 

THE  Duke  de  Choiseul  made  bis  reappearance  at  court,  on  the 
ceremony  of  the  King's  coronation.  From  the  general  wishes 
of  the  public  on  the  subject,  his  friends  conceived  hopes  of  see- 
ing him  again  in  administration,  or  in  the  council  of  state ;  but 
these  hopes  were  only  of  short  duration.  The  opposite  party 
was  too  firmly  fixed  at  Versailles,  and  the  young  Queen's  influ- 
ence was  outweighed,  in  the  mind  of  the  King,  by  long-standing 
and  lasting  prejudices :  she  therefore  gave  up,  for  ever,  her 
attempt  to  reinstate  the  duke.  Thus  this  princess,  who  has 
been  described  as  so  ambitious,  and  so  strenuously  supporting 
the  interest  of  the  house  of  Austria,  failed  twice  in  the  only 
scheme  which  could  forward  the  views  constantly  attributed  to 
her :  and  spent  the  whole  of  her  reign,  down  to  the  earliest 
shocks  of  the  revolution,  surrounded  by  her  own  enemies  and 
those  of  her  house. 

Marie  Antoinette  took  but  little  pains  to  promote  literature 
and  the  fine  arts.  She  had  suffered  some  vexations,  in  conse- 
quence of  her  having  ordered  the  performance  of  the  "  Conne- 
table  de  Bourbon,"  on  the  celebration  of  the  marriage  of  Madame 
Clotilde,  the  King's  sister,  with  the  Prince  of  Piedmont.  The 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  119 

court,  and  the  people  of  Paris,  censured,  as  indecorous,  the  per- 
formance of  a  piece  in  which  such  parts  were  assigned  to  charac- 
ters bearing  the  names  of  the  reigning  family,  and  of  that  with 
which  the  new  alliance  was  formed.*  The  reading  of  this  piece 
by  the  Count  de  Guibert  in  the  Queen's  closet,  had  produced  in 
her  majesty's  circle,  that  sort  of  enthusiasm,  which  prevents  all 
sober  and  judicious  criticism.  She  promised  she  would  have  no 
more  readings.  Yet  at  the  request  of  M.  de  Cubieres,  the  King's 
equerry,  the  Queen  agreed  to  hear  the  reading  of  a  comedy, 
written  by  his  brother.  She  collected  her  intimate  friends, 
Messieurs  de  Coigny,  De  Vaudreuil,  De  Besenval,  and  Mes- 
dames  de  Polignac,  De  Chalon,  &c.,  and  to  increase  the  number 
of  judges,  she  admitted  the  two  Parnys,  the  Chevalier  de  Ber- 
tin,f  my  father-in-law,  and  myself.  Mole|  read  for  the  author. 
I  never  could  satisfy  myself  by  what  magic  the  skilful  reader 
gained  our  unanimous  approbation  of  a  work  equally  bad  and 
ridiculous.  Surely  the  delightful  voice  of  Mole",  by  awakening 
our  recollection  of  the  dramatic  beauties  of  the  French  stage, 
prevented  the  wretched  lines  of  Derat  Cubieres  from  striking  on 
our  ears.  I  can  assert  that  the  words  beautiful!  beautiful!  re- 
peatedly interrupted  the  reader.  The  piece  was  admitted  for 
performance  at  Fontainebleau ;  and,  for  the  first  time,  the  King 
had  the  curtain  dropped  before  the  end  of  the  play.  It  was 
called  the  Dramomane  or  Dramarturge.  All  the  characters 
died  of  poison  mixed  in  a  pie.  The  Queen,  highly  disconcerted 
at  having  recommended  this  absurd  production,  resolved  once 

*  The  Constable  de  Bourbon  was  not,  it  must  be  admitted,  a  fit 
piece  for  performance  before  all  the  French  princes.  It  might  also 
create  some  surprise,  if  the  whole  court  should  be  found  approving  a 
composition,  in  which  the  conne"table  of  all  things  desires  : — 

"  The  rare  pleasure  of  humbling  a  King." 

•}•  The  Chevalier  de  Parny  was  already  known  by  his  heroic  poems, 
and  the  Chevalier  de  Bertin  by  some  well  received  verses. 

Note  by  Madame  Campan. 

J  An  actor,  who  was  the  delight  of  the  Theatre  Fra^aise.  He  pre- 
cecled  Fleury,  and  took  the  same  line  of  character. 

Note  by  Madame  Campan 


160  MEMOIRS  OF 

more  never  to  hear  another  reading ;  and  this  time  she  kept  her 
word. 

The  tragedy  of  Mustapha  and  Zeangir,  by  M.  de  Chamfort, 
was  highly  successful  at  the  court  theatre,  at  Fontainebleau. 
The  Queen  procured  the  author  a  pension  of  1200  francs,  but 
his  play  failed  on  being  performed  at  Paris. 

The  spirit  of  opposition  which  prevailed  in  that  city,  delighted 
in  annulling  the  decisions  of  the  court.  The  Queen  determined 
never  more  to  give  any  marked  countenance  to  new  dramatic 
works.  She  reserved  her  patronage  for  musical  composers  alone, 
and,  in  a  few  years,  their  art  arrived  at  a  degree  of  perfection  it 
had  never  before  attained  in  France. 

It  was  solely  to  gratify  the  Queen,  that  the  manager  of  the 
Opera  collected  the  first  company  of  comic  actors  at  Paris. 
Gluck,  Picciui,  and  Sacchini,  were  brought  there  in  succession. 
These  eminent  composers,  and  particularly  the  first,  were  treated 
with  great  distinction  at  court.  Immediately  on  his  arrival  in 
France,  Gluck  was  admitted  to  the  Queen's  toilet,  and  she  never 
ceased  talking  to  him  all  the  time  he  remained  with  her.  She 
asked  him  one  day,  whether  he  had  nearly  brought  his  grand 
opera  of  Armida  to  a  conclusion,  and  whether  it  pleased  him. 
Gluck  replied  very  coolly,  in  his  German  accent,  "  Madame,  it 
will  soon  be  finished,  and  really  it  will  be  sublime."  His  opinion, 
thus  roundly  expressed,  was  confirmed ;  for  surely  the  lyric 
stage  never  witnessed  a  more  effective  piece.  There  was  a  great 
outcry  against  the  confidence  with  which  the  composer  had  spoken 
of  his  own  production.*  The  Queen  defended  him  warmly :  she 

*  Modesty  was  not  one  of  Gluck's  virtues.  Madame  de  Genlis,  in 
her  Souvenirs,  says,  that  he  spoke  of  Piccini  judiciously  and  plainly. 
"  One  cannot  help  feeling,"  adds  she,  "  that  he  is  equitable  without 
ostentation.  However,  he  said  yesterday,  that  if  Piccini's  Roland  suc- 
ceeds, he  icill  do  it  over  again.  This  remark  is  striking,  but  it  is  of  a 
nature  that  will  never  please  me.  It  is  so  much  more  a  proof  of  feeling, 
to  speak  always  with  diffidence!" 

Gluck  often  had  to  deal  with  self-sufficiency,  at  least  equal  to  his 
own.  He  was  very  reluctant  to  introduce  long  ballets  into  Iphigenia. 
Vestris  deeply  regretted  that  the  opera  was  not  terminated  by  a  char 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  151 

insisted  that  he  could  not  be  ignorant  of  the  merit  of  his  works  ; 
that  he  well  knew  they  were  generally  admired,  and  that  no 
doubt  he  was  fearful  lest  a  modesty,  merely  dictated  by  polite- 
ness, should  look  like  affectation  in  him.  The  Queen  did  not 
confine  her  admiration  to  the  lofty  style  of  the  French  and  Ita- 
lian operas;  our  comic  opera  also  pleased  her  much.  She 
greatly  valued  Gretry's  music,  so  well  adapted  to  the  spirit  and 
feeling  of  the  words,  that  time  has  not  yet  diminished  its  charm. 
It  is  known  that  a  great  deal  of  the  poetry  set  to  music  by 
G  retry,  is  by  Marmontcl.  The  day  after  the  first  performance 
of  Zemira  and  Azor,  Marmontel  and  Gretry  were  presented  to 
the  Queen,  in  the  gallery  of  Fontaincbleau,  as  she  was  passing 
through  it  to  go  to  mass.  The  Queen  addressed  all  her  compli- 
ments on  the  success  of  the  new  opera  to  Gretry;  told  him, 
that  during  the  night,  she  had  dreamed  of  the  enchanting  effect 
of  the  trio  by  Zemira's  father  and  sisters  behind  the  magic  mir- 
ror :  having  said  this,  she  left  them.  Gretry,  in  a  transport  of 
joy,  took  Marmontel  in  his  arms.  "Ah  !  my  friend,"  cried  he, 
"  excellent  music  may  be  made  of  this" — "  And  execrable 
words,"  coolly  observed  Marmontel,  to  whom  her  majesty  had 
not  addressed  a  single  word.* 

conne,  in  which  that  god  of  dance  might  display  all  his  power.  He 
complained  to  Gluck  about  it.  Gluck,  who  treated  his  art  just  as  it 
deserves,  would  make  no  other  reply,  than  that,  in  so  interesting  a  sub- 
ject, capering  and  dancing  would  be  misplaced.  Being  pressed  another 
time  by  Vestris,  on  the  same  subject,  "A  chaconne!  a  chaconne!" 
roared  out  the  enraged  musician,  "we  must  describe  the  Greeks;  and 
had  the  Greeks  chaconnes  ?" — "What?  bad  they  not  ?"  returned  the 
astonished  dancer;  "faith,  then,  so  much  the  worse  for  them!" 

Note  by  the  Editor. 

*  All  authors,  whether  poets  or  musicians,  attached  great  importance 
to  the  performance  of  their  works,  upoa  the  stage  of  Fontainebleau, 
Grimm  gi  vea  us  the  key  to  this. 

"  It  is  to  be  observed,  that  the  court  almost  invariably  makes  a  pre- 
sent to  the  authors  of  the  pieces  performed  at  Fontainebleau,  and,  which 
is  a  matter  of  still  greater  consequence,  those  pieces,  being  no  longer 
subject  to  the  usual  forms,  may  be  acted  at  Paris,  immediately  after 
their  performance  at  court.  To  this  advantage  may  be  attributed  tho 

14* 


152  MEMOIRS  OF 

The  Queen  had  no  taste  for  pictures.  The  most  indifferent 
artists  were  permitted  to  have  the  honour  of  painting  her.  A 
full-length  portrait  representing  Marie  Antoinette  in  all  the 
pomp  of  royalty,  was  exhibited  in  the  gallery  of  Versailles. 
This  picture,  which  was  intended  for  the  court  of  Vienna,  and 
executed  by  a  man  who  does  not  deserved  to  be  named,  dis- 
gusted all  people  of  taste.  It  seemed  as  if  this  art,  which  ia 
justly  placed  in  the  foremost  rank  of  the  fine  arts,  had,  in 
France,  retrograded  several  centuries.  True  it  is,  that  Vanloo 
and  Boucher  had  so  corrupted  the  style  of  the  French  school, 
that,  with  eyes  accustomed  to  look  only  at  the  foreign  and 
native  masterpieces  which  now  surround  us,  we  can  scarcely 
believe,  that  Boucher's  paintings  could  have  been  objects  of 
admiration  at  a  period  so  near  the  age  of  Louis  XIV. 

The  Queen  had  not  that  enlightened  judgment,  or  even  that 
mere  taste,  which  in  princes  is  sufficient  to  enable  them  to 
develop  and  protect  great  talents.  She  confessed  frankly  that 
she  saw  no  merit  in  any  portrait,  beyond  the  likeness.  When 
she  went  to  the  Louvre,  on  the  exhibition  of  the  pictures,  she 
would  run  hastily  over  all  the  little  imitative  subjects,  and  come 
out,  as  she  acknowledged,  without  having  once  raised  her  eyes 
to  the  grander  compositions. 

There  is  no  good  portrait  of  the  Queen,  save  that  by  Werth- 
muller,  chief  painter  to  the  King  of  Sweden,  which  was  sent  to 

importance  attached  to  the  privilege  of  being  first  judged  of  upon  a 
stage  where  the  result,  always  uncertain,  is  never  considered  as  de- 
finitively pronounced ;  for  it  is  agreed,  that  an  appeal  lies  to  the  public 
of  Paris,  from  the  judgments  pronounced  by  the  courtly  public. 

"  And  yet,"  continues  Grimm,  "  it  cannot  be  denied  that  the  manner 
of  judging  adopted  at  court,  is  very  different  from  what  it  formerly 
was,  now  that  it  is  allowable  to  applaud  there  as  at  other  theatres. 
Formerly  it  was  usual  to  listen  in  profound  silence,  and  that  silence, 
while  it  manifested  much  respect  for  the  presence  of  their  majesties, 
left  a  vast  uncertainty  as  to  the  feelings  of  the  majority  of  the  audience. 
Since  the  Queen  has  permitted  this  important  point  of  etiquette  to  be 
overlooked,  it  very  seldom  happens,  that  the  public  of  Paris  fails  to 
confirm  the  decisions  at  Fontainebleau." — Note  by  the  Editor, 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  153 

Stockholm ;  and  that  by  Madame  Le  Brun,  which  was  saved 
from  the  revolutionary  fury  by  the  commissioners  for  the  care 
of  the  furniture  at  Versailles.  In  the  composition  of  the  latter 
picture,  there  reigns  a  striking  analogy  to  that  of  Henrietta  of 
France,  the  wife  of  the  unfortunate  Charles  the  First,  painted 
by  Vandyck.  Like  Marie  Antoinette,  she  is  seated,  surrounded 
by  her  children,  and  that  resemblance  adds  to  the  melancholy 
interest  raised  by  this  beautiful  production. 

In  admitting,  with  that  candour  which  I  will  never  lose  sight 
of,  that  the  Queen  gave  no  direct  encouragement  to  any  art  but 
that  of  music,  I  should  be  wrong  to  pass  over  in  silence  the 
patronage  conferred  by  her  and  the  princes,  brothers  of  the  King, 
on  the  art  of  printing.* 

To  Marie  Antoinette  we  are  indebted  for  a  splendid  quarto 

*  The  King  looked  with  interest  on  the  productions  of  an  art  so  ser- 
viceable to  literature.  In  1790,  that  prince  gave  a  proof  of  his  particu- 
lar good-will  to  the  bookselling  trade.  The  following  particulars  of 
this  transaction  are  found  in  a  work  which  appeared  about  that  time. 

"  A  company  consisting  of  the  first  Parisian  booksellers,  being  on  the 
eve  of  stopping  payment,  succeeded  in  laying  before  the  King  a  state- 
ment of  their  distressed  situation.  The  monarch  was  affected  by  it ; 
he  condescended  to  take  from  the  civil  list,  the  sum  of  which  the 
society  stood  in  immediate  need,  and  became  security  for  the  repayment 
of  the  remainder  of  the  1,200,000  livrcs,  which  they  wanted  to  borrow. 
Louis  XVI.  wrote  with  his  own  hand  the  following  letter  to  M.  Necker, 
at  that  time  his  minister  of  finance : — 

"  '  The  interest  I  take  in  the  welfare  of  this  society,  and  of  the  nu- 
merous workmen  they  employ,  as  well  in  the  country  as  in  Paris,  and 
who  would  have  been  out  of  work  without  prompt  assistance  (the 
caisse  d'escompte,  and  other  capitalists,  to  whom  they  have  made  appli- 
cation, being  unable  to  help  them),  has  induced  me  to  advance  them, 
as  a  loan  out  of  the  funds  of  my  civil  list,  the  50,000  crowns  which  they 
wanted  indispensably  on  the  31st  of  last  month.  The  same  motive  leads 
me  to  secure  upon  the  same  fund,  such  sums  as  they  may  be  able  to 
procure,  in  order,  with  the  50,000  crowns  which  I  have  advanced  them, 
to  make  up  the  sum  of  1,200,000  livres,  to  be  repaid  in  ten  years,  in- 
cluding my  advance :  for  the  repayment  of  which  I  fix  no  particular 
time.  Saint  Cloud,  the  4th  August,  1790. — (Signed)  Louis.'" 

Note  by  the  Editor. 


154  MEMOIRS  OF 

edition  of  the  works  of  Metastasio;  to  Monsieur  the  King's 
brother,  for  a  quarto  Tasso,  embellished  with  engravings  after 
Cochin ;  and  to  the  Count  d' Artois,  for  a  small  collection  of 
select  works,  which  is  considered  one  of  the  chef-d'ceuvres  of  the 
celebrated  Didot's  press. 

In  1775,  on  the  death  of  the  Marechal  du  Muy,  the  ascendancy 
of  the  sect  of  innovators  occasioned  the  call  of  M.  de  Saint  Ger- 
main to  court,  that  the  important  post  of  minister  at  war  might 
be  intrusted  to  him.  His  first  care  was  the  abolition  of  the 
King's  military  household  establishment,  which  had  been  an 
imposing  and  effectual  rampart  round  the  sovereign  power. 

It  is  to  be  observed,  that  at  the  period  when  the  Chancellor 
Maupeou  obtained  the  consent  of  Louis  XV.  to  the  destruction 
of  the  parliament,  and  the  banishment  of  all  the  ancient  magis- 
trates, the  mousguetaircs  were  charged  with  the  execution  of 
the  commission  for  this  purpose ;  and  that  at  the  stroke  of 
midnight,  the  presidents  and  members  were  all  arrested,  each 
by  two  mousquetaires. 

In  the  spring  of  1755,  a  popular  insurrection  had  taken 
place,  in  consequence  of  the  high  price  of  bread.  M.  Turgot's 
new  regulation,  which  permitted  unlimited  trade  in  corn,  was 
either  its  cause  or  the  pretence  for  it;*  and  the  King's  household 
troops  had,  upon  that  occasion,  contributed  mainly  to  the  resto- 
ration of  public  tranquillity. 

A  great  number  of  persons,  enlightened  by  the  disastrous 
events  at  the  end  of  the  reign  of  Louis  XVI.,  have  suspected 
M.  de  St.  Germain  of  a  treacherous  confederacy  in  favour  of 
schemes,  formed  long  beforehand,  it  is  true,  by  the  enemies  of 
good  order;  but  by  what  fatality  was  the  Queen  drawn  in  to 

*  Economy  and  freedom  "were  M.  Turgot's  two  principles.  At  court 
he  insisted  chiefly  on  the  application  of  the  former.  His  numerous  re- 
trenchments offended  the  nobles  and  clergy. 

A  female  relative  of  the  minister  once  asked  a  bishop,  whether  it  was 
not  allowable  to  keep  Easter,  and  the  Jubilee  at  the  same  time.  "  Why, 
madam,"  replied  the  prelate,  "we  live  in  economical  times — perhaps, 
we  had  better  do  so."— Note  by  the  Editor. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  155 

promote  such  objects  ?  I  could  never  discover  the  true  cause 
of  it,  unless  indeed  in  the  marked  favour  shown  to  the  captains 
and  officers  of  the  body-guards,  who,  in  consequence  of  the 
reduction,  became  the  only  soldiers  of  their  rank  intrusted 
with  the  safety  of  the  sovereign ;  or  else  in  the  Queen's  strong 
prejudice  against  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon,  then  commander  of  the 
light-horse.  M.  de  Saint  Germain,  however,  retained  fifty  gen- 
darmes and  fifty  light-horse,  to  form  a  royal  escort  on  state 
occasions;  but,  in  1787,  the  King  disbanded  both  these  military 
bodies.  The  Queen  then  remarked,  with  evident  satisfaction, 
that  at  last  she  should  see  no  more  red-coats  in  the  gallery  of 
Versailles.* 

From  1775  to  1781,  the  Queen  passed  the  pleasantest  part 
of  her  life,  and  that  in  which  she  indulged  most  in  the  gratifi- 
cations which  on  all  sides  offered  themselves  to  her.  In  the 
little  journeys  to  Choisy,  performances  frequently  took  place  at 
the  theatre  twice  in  one  day :  grand  opera  and  French  or  Italian 
comedy,  at  the  usual  hour ;  and,  at  eleven  at  night,  parodies,  in 
which  the  best  actors  of  the  opera  presented  themselves  in  the 
most  whimsical  parts  and  costumes.  The  celebrated  dancer, 
Gruimard,  always  took  the  leading  character  in  the  latter  per- 
formance; she  danced  better  than  she  acted;  her  extreme 
leanness,  and  her  small  hoarse  voice,  added  to  the  burlesque  in 
the  parodied  characters  of  Ernelinde  and  Iphigenie. 

The  most  magnificent  and  complimentary  fete  ever  given  to 
the  Queen,  was  one  prepared  for  her  by  Monsieur,  the  King's 
brother,  at  Brunoy.  That  prince  did  me  the  honour  to  admit 
me  there,  and  I  followed  her  majesty  everywhere  in  the  group 

*  The  Queen  said  to  M.  de  Saint  Germain,  "What  will  you  do  with 
the  forty-four  gensdarmes,  and  forty-four  light-horse,  that  you  keep 
up  ?  Probably,  they  are  to  escort  the  King  to  the  beds  of  justice." — 
"No,  madam,  they  are  to  accompany  him  when  Te  Deums  are  sung." 
It  must  be  understood  that  the  Queen  was  for  a  total  suppression,  and 
for  the  King's  being  guarded  at  Versailles,  as  the  Empress,  her  mother, 
and  the  Emperor  are,  at  Vienna ;  and  that  would  have  been  plain  and 
right.  (Secret  Correspondence  of  the  Court:  Reign  of  Louis  XVI.} 

Note  by  the  Editor. 


156  MEMOIRS   OF 

that  surrounded  her.  In  roving  about  the  gardens,  she  found, 
in  the  first  copse,  knights  in  full  armour,  asleep  beneath  the 
shade  of  trees,  whence  hung  their  spears  and  shields.  The 
absence  of  the  beauties  who  had  incited  the  nephews  of  Charle- 
magne to  lofty  deeds,  is  supposed  to  occasion  this  lethargic  slum- 
ber. But  the  Queen  appears  at  the  entrance  of  the  copse  — 
they  are  on  foot  in  an  instant — melodious  voices  sing  the  cause 
of  their  disenchantment,  and  their  eagerness  to  signalize  their 
skill  and  valour.  They  then  hastened  into  a  vast  arena,  magni- 
ficently decorated  exactly  in  the  style  of  the  ancient  tourna- 
ments. 

Fifty  dancers,  dressed  as  pages,  presented  to  the  knights 
twenty-five  superb  black  horses,  and  twenty-five  of  a  dazzling 
whiteness,  all  most  richly  caparisoned.  The  party  led  by  Au- 
gustus Vestris,  wore  the  Queen's  colours.  Picq,  ballet-master 
at  the  Russian  court,  commanded  the  opposing  band.  There 
was  running  at  the  black  helmet,  tilting,  and  lastly,  desperate 
single  combat,  perfectly  well  imitated.  Although  the  spectators 
were  aware  that  the  Queen's  colours  could  not  but  be  victorious, 
they  did  not  the  less  enjoy  the  various  and  prolonged  sensations 
occasioned  by  the  apparent  uncertainty  of  the  triumph. 

Nearly  all  the  agreeable  women  of  Paris,  who  are  always 
ready  to  enjoy  spectacles  of  this  description,  were  ranged  upon 
the  steps  which  surrounded  the  area  of  the  tourney :  this  assem- 
blage completed  the  illusion.  The  Queen,  surrounded  by  the 
royal  family  and  the  whole  court,  was  placed  beneath  an  ele- 
vated canopy.  A  play,  followed  by  a  ballet  pantomime  and  a 
ball,  terminated  the  fete.  Fireworks  and  illuminations  were 
not  spared.  Finally,  from  a  prodigiously  high  scaffold,  placed 
on  a  rising  ground,  shouts  of,  Vive  Louis!  —  Vive  Marie  Antoi- 
nette !  were  sent  forth  in  the  air,  in  the  midst  of  a  very  dark,  but 
calm  night. 

Pleasure  was  the  sole  pursuit  of  every  one  of  this  young 
family,  with  the  exception  of  the  King.  Their  love  of  it  was 
perpetually  encouraged  by  a  crowd  of  those  officious  people, 
who,  by  anticipating  the  desires,  and  even  the  passions  of 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  157 

princes,  find  means  of  showing  their  zeal,  and  so  hope  to  gain 
or  secure  favour  for  themselves. 

Who  would  have  dared,  by  cold  or  solid  reasonings,  to  check 
the  amusements  of  a  Queen,  young,  lively,  and  handsome  ?  A 
mother,  or  a  husband,  alone  had  the  right  to  do  it;  and  the 
King  threw  no  impediment  in  the  way  of  Marie  Antoinette's 
inclinations  His  long  indifference  had  been  followed  by  feelings 
of  admiration  and  love.  He  was  a  slave  to  all  the  wishes  of  the 
Queen,  who,  delighted  with  the  happy  change  in  the  mind  and 
manners  of  the  King,  did  not  sufficiently  conceal  the  satisfaction 
she  felt  at  it,  nor  the  ascendancy  she  was  gaining  over  him. 

The  King  went  to  bed  every  night  at  eleven,  precisely;  he 
was  very  methodical,  and  nothing  was  allowed  to  interfere  with 
his  rules.  He  had  not,  as  yet,  omitted  a  single  night  to  share 
the  nuptial  bed :  but  the  noise  which  the  Queen  unavoidably 
made,  when  she  returned  very  late  from  the  evenings  which  she 
spent  with  the  Princess  de  Grueme'nee,  or  the  Duke  de  Duras,  at 
last  annoyed  the  King  :  and  it  was  amicably  agreed  that  the 
Queen  should  apprise  him  when  she  intended  to  sit  up  late.  The 
King  then  began  to  sleep  in  his  own  apartment,  which  had  never 
before  happened  from  the  time  of  their  marriage. 

During  the  winter  the  opera-balls  beguiled  many  of  the 
Queen's  nights ;  she  attended  them  with  a  single  lady  of  the 
palace,  and  Monsieur  and  the  Count  d' Artois  were  always  there. 
Her  people  concealed  their  liveries  under  gray  cloth  great  coats. 
She  always  thought  she  was  not  recognised,  while  all  the  time 
she  was  known  to  the  whole  assembly,  from  the  first  moment  she 
entered  the  theatre  :  they  pretended,  however,  not  to  recognise 
her,  and  some  masquerade  manoeuvre  was  always  adopted  to  give 
her  the  pleasure  of  fancying  herself  incognita. 

Louis  XVI.  determined  once  to  accompany  the  Queen  to  a 
masked  ball ;  it  was  agreed  that  the  King  should  hold  not  only 
the  grand  but  the  petit  couclier,  as  if  actually  going  to  bed. 
The  Queen  went  to  his  apartment  through  the  inner  corridors  of 
the  palace,  followed  by  one  of  her  women  with  a  black  domino; 
she  assisted  him  to  put  it  on,  and  they  went  alone  to  the  chapel 


156  MEMOIRS  OF 

court,  where  a  carriage  waited  for  them,  with  the  captain  of  the 
guard  on  duty,  and  a  lady  of  the  palace.  The  King  was  but 
little  amused,  spoke  only  to  two  or  three  persons  who  knew  him 
immediately,  and  found  nothing  to  admire  at  the  masquerade, 
but  punch  and  harlequin ;  which  served  as  a  joke  against  him  for 
the  royal  family,  who  often  amused  themselves  with  laughing  at 
him  about  it. 

An  event,  very  simple  in  itself,  brought  lamentable  suspicions 
upon  the  conduct  of  the  Queen.  She  was  going  out  one  evening 
with  the  Duchess  de  Luynes,  lady  of  the  palace :  her  carriage 
broke  down  at  the  entrance  into  Paris ;  she  was  obliged  to  alight ; 
the  Duchess  led  her  into  a  shop,  while  a  footman  called  a,  fiacre. 
As  they  were  masked,  if  they  had  but  known  how  to  keep 
silence,  the  event  would  never  have  been  known ;  but  to  ride 
in  a  fiacre  is  an  adventure  so  whimsical  for  a  Queen,  that  she 
had  hardly  entered  the  opera  house,  when  she  could  not  help 
saying  to  some  persons  whom  she  met  there :  "  I  came  in  a 
fiacre;  is  it  not  droll  ?"* 

*  The  amusement  of  the  masquerade,  the  desire  which  the  Queen 
felt  to  taste,  at  least,  the  pleasure  of  the  incognito,  under  the  mask 
there,  must  have  given  rise  to  a  number  of  those  adventures,  which 
form  one  of  the  amusements  attached  to  disguise  of  that  sort,  and  which 
the  presence  of  a  third  person  always  renders  innocent.  The  following 
anecdote  appears  in  a  work  of  the  time. 

"An  adventure,  which  took  place  at  the  masked  ball,  given  by  the 
Count  de  Viry,  is  whispered  about ;  it  was  as  follows :  After  the  banquet, 
the  Queen  withdrew  with  her  suite,  and  returned  shortly  afterwards, 
masked,  to  the  ball.  At  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  she  was  walking 
with  the  Duchess  de  la  Vauguyon  :  the  two  masks  were  accosted  by  a 
young  foreign  nobleman,  who  was  unmasked,  and  who  conversed  with 
them  a  long  time,  taking  them  for  two  women  of  quality,  with  whom  he 
was  acquainted.  The  mistake  gave  rise  to  a  singular  conversation, 
•which  amused  her  majesty  the  more,  inasmuch  as  the  topics  were  light 
and  agreeable,  without  being  indiscreet.  Two  gentlemen  in  masks 
came  up  and  joined  the  party ;  after  laughing  a  good  deal  together, 
they  separated.  The  two  ladies  intimated  a  desire  to  withdraw ;  the 
German  baron  conducted  them ;  a  very  plain  carriage  drew  up  :  when 
they  were  about  to  enter  it,  Madame  de  la  Vauguyon  unmasked. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  159 

From  that  moment  all  Paris  was  informed  of  the  adventure 
of  the  fiacre :  it  was  said  that  everything  connected  with  that 
night-adventure  was  mysterious;  that  the  Queen  had  kept  an 
assignation  in  a  private  house,  with  an  nobleman  honoured  by 
her  kindness ;  the  Duke  de  Coigny  was  openly  named.  He  was 
indeed  very  well  received  at  court,  but  equally  so  by  the  King 
and  Queen.  These  suppositions  of  gallantry  once  set  afloat, 
there  were  no  longer  any  bounds  to  all  the  foolish  conjectures 
of  the  gossips  of  the  day,  and  still  less  to  the  calumnies  circu- 
lated at  Paris  respecting  the  Queen ;  if,  during  the  chase,  or  at 
cards,  she  spoke  to  Lord  Edward  Dillon,  De  Lambertye,  or 
others,  whose  names  I  cannot  at  this  moment  bring  to  my  re 
collection ;  they  were  so  many  favoured  lovers.  The  people  of 
Paris  did  not  know  that  none  of  those  young  persons  were 
admitted  into  the  Queen's  private  circle  of  friends,  nor  had  even 
any  claim  to  be  introduced  there ;  but  the  Queen  went  about 
Paris  in  disguise,  and  had  made  use  of  a,  fiacre:  unfortunately, 
a  single  instance  of  levity  gives  room  for  the  suspicion  of  others, 
and  ill  disposed  persons  do  not  hesitate  to  presume  that  which 
could  not  really  take  place.  Calm  in  consciousness  of  innocence, 
and  well  knowing  that  all  about  her  must  do  justice  to  her  pri- 
vate life,  the  Queen  spoke  of  these  false  reports  with  contempt, 

Judge  of  the  stranger's  surprise,  and  how  it  increased,  when,  on  turning 
round,  he  also  recognised  the  other  lady,  who  had  likewise  unmasked : 
respect,  and  a  kind  of  confusion,  succeeded  to  familiarity.  The  affability 
of  the  charming  princess,  however,  reassured  the  foreigner,  who,  be- 
sides, had  had  the  advantage  of  paying  his  court  to  her  majesty,  and 
being  known  to  her.  The  raillery  with  which  he  had  to  reproach  him- 
self, was  only  such  as  the  mask  sanctions,  especially  in  France.  The 
Queen  recommended  secrecy,  and  left  him.  He  complied,  no  doubt, 
but  to  little  purpose,  as  two  or  three  spectators,  who  were  there  by 
accident,  were  not  equally  discreet.  The  foreigner,  however,  who  was 
finely  formed,  amiable,  and  of  exalted  birth,  well  deserved  the  favour 
fortune  threw  in  his  way.  Meeting  the  Queen  a  few  days  afterwards, 
Bhe  asked  him  if  he'  had  kept  her  secret,  in  a  tone  which  showed  that 
she  did  not  consider  it  of  the  slightest  importance."  (Secret  Corres 
pondence  of  the  Court:  Reign  of  Louis  XVI.} — Note  by  the  Editor. 

VOL.   I. 15 


160  MEMOIRS  OF 

contenting  herself  with  the  supposition,  that  some  vain  folly  in 
the  young  men  above  mentioned,  had  given  rise  to  them.  She 
therefore  left  off  speaking  to  them,  or  even  looking  at  them- 
Their  vanity  took  the  alarm  at  this,  and  the  pleasure  of  revenge 
induced  them  either  to  say,  or  to  leave  others  to  think,  that  it 
was  their  misfortune  to  please  no  longer.  Other  young  cox- 
combs, placing  themselves  near  the  private  box,  which  the  Queen 
occupied  incognita,  when  she  attended  the  public  theatre  at  Ver- 
sailles, had  the  presumption  to  imagine  that  they  were  noticed 
by  her;  and  I  have  known  such  notions  entertained,  merely  on 
account  of  the  Queen's  requesting  one  of  those  gentlemen  to 
inquire  behind  the  scenes,  whether  it  would  be  long  before  the 
commencement  of  the  second  piece. 

The  list  of  persons  received  into  the  Queen's  closet,  which  I 
have  given  above,  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  gentlemen 
ushers  of  the  chamber,  by  the  Princess  de  Lamballe  :  and  the 
persons  there  enumerated  were  to  present  themselves  to  enjoy 
the  distinction,  on  those  days  whereon  the  Queen  chose  to  be 
with  her  intimates  in  a  private  manner,  and  on  no  other;  and 
this  was  only  after  she  had  been  confined,  or  when  she  was 
slightly  indisposed.  People  of  the  first  rank  at  court  sometimes 
requested  audiences  of  her;  the  Queen  then  received  them  in 
a  room  within  that  called  the  wardrobe-women's  closet,  and  these 
women  announced  whoever  was  coming  into  her  majesty's 
apartment. 

I  was  one  day  in  this  cabinet  when  the  Duke  de  Lauzun 
passed  through  it,  after  an  occurrence  which  requires  some  ex- 
planation. 

The  Duke  de  Lauzun  (since  Duke  de  Biron),  who  made  him- 
self conspicuous  in  the  revolution,  among  the  associates  of  the 
Duke  d' Orleans,  has  left  behind  him  some  manuscript  memoirs, 
in  which  he  calumniates  the  character  of  Marie  Antoinette.  He 
relates  one  anecdote  respecting  a  heron's  plume.  The  following 
is  the  true  history  of  the  matter. 

The  Duke  de  Lauzun  had  a  good  deal  of  original  wit,  and 
something  chivalrous  in  his  manners.  The  Queen  was  accus- 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  161 

tomed  to  see  him  at  the  King's  suppers,  and  at  the  house  of  the 
Princess  de  Grue'menee  :  and  always  showed  him  attention.  One 
day  he  made  his  appearance  at  Madame  de  GuemeneVs  in  uni- 
form, and  with  the  most  magnificent  plume  of  white  heron's 
feathers  that  it  was  possible  to  behold.  The  Queen  admired  the 
plume,  and  he  offered  it  to  her  through  the  Princess  de  Gue*- 
menee.  As  he  wore  it,  the  Queen  had  not  imagined  that  he 
could  think  of  giving  it  to  her;  much  embarrassed  with  the 
present  which  she  had,  as  it  were,  drawn  upon  herself,  she  did 
not  dare  to  refuse  it,  nor  did  she  know  whether  she  ought  to 
make  one  in  return ;  fearful,  if  she  did  give  anything,  of  giving 
either  too  much  or  too  little,  she  contented  herself  with  wearing 
the  plume  once,  and  letting  M.  de  Lauzun  see  her  adorned  with 
the  present  he  had  made  her.  In  his  secret  memoirs  the  Duke 
attaches  importance  to  his  present  of  the  aigrette,  which  proves 
him  utterly  unworthy  of  an  honour  accorded  only  to  his  name 
and  rank. 

His  vanity  magnified  the  value  of  the  favour  done  him.  A 
short  time  after  the  present  of  the  heron  plume,  he  solicited  an 
audience;  the  Queen  granted  it,  as  she  would  have  done  to  any 
other  nobleman  of  equal  rank.  I  was  in  the  room  adjoining 
that  in  which  he  was  received ;  a  few  minutes  after  his  arrival, 
the  Queen  opened  the  door,  and  said  aloud,  and  in  an  angry 
tone  of  voice,  "  Go,  sir."  M.  de  Lauzun  bowed  low,  and  with- 
drew. The  Queen  was  much  agitated.  She  said  to  me  :  "  That 
man  shall  never  again  come  within  my  doors."  A  few  years 
before  the  revolution  of  1789,  the  Marshal  de  Biron  died.  The 
Duke  de  Lauzun,  heir  to  his  name,  aspired  to  the  important 
post  of  colonel  of  the  regiment  of  French  guards.  The  Queen, 
however,  procured  it  for  the  Duke  du  Chatclet :  such  is  often 
the  origin  of  the  most  implacable  hatred.  The  Duke  de  Biron 
espoused  the  cause  of  the  Duke  d' Orleans,  and  became  one  of 
the  most  violent  enemies  of  Marie  Antoinette.* 

*  The  memoirs  of  the  Duke  de  Lauzun,  still  in  manuscript,  while 
Madame  Campan  was  compiling  hers,  have  since  been  published.  They 
were  penned  by  the  Duke  de  Lauzun  at  the  solicitation  of  the  Duchess 


162  MEMOIRS  OP 

It  is  with  reluctance  that  I  enter  very  minutely  on  a  defence 
of  the  Queen  against  two  infamous  accusations  with  which  libel- 
lers have  dared  to  swell  their  envenomed  volumes.  I  mean  the 
unworthy  suspicions  of  too  strong  an  attachment  for  the  Count 
d'Artois,  and  of  the  motives  for  the  close  friendship  which  sub- 
sisted between  the  Queen,  the  Princess  de  Lamballe,  and  the 
Duchess  de  Polignac.  I  do  not  believe  that  the  Count  d'Artois 
was,  during  the  earlier  years  of  his  own  youth,  and  that  of  the 
Queen,  so  much  enamoured,  as  has  been  said,  with  the  beauty 
and  loveliness  of  his  sister-in-law ;  but  I  can  affirm,  that  I 
always  saw  that  prince  maintain  the  most  respectful  distance 
towards  the  Queen ;  that  she  always  spoke  of  him,  of  his  good- 
nature and  his  cheerfulness,  with  that  freedom  which  never 
attends  any  other  than  the  purest  sentiments,  and  that  none  of 
those  about  the  Queen  ever  saw  in  the  affection  she  manifested 
towards  the  Count  d'Artois  more  than  that  of  a  kind  and  tender 
sister  for  her  youngest  brother.  As  to  the  intimate  connection 
between  Marie  Antoinette  and  the  ladies  I  have  named,  rff  never 
had,  nor  could  have,  any  other  motive  than  the  very  innocent 
wish  to  secure  herself  two  friends  in  the  midst  of  a  numerous 
court :  and  notwithstanding  this  intimacy,  that  tone  of  dignified 

de  Fleury,  daughter  of  the  Duke  de  Coigny,  a  woman  whose  wit,  grace, 
and  beauty,  were  justly  extolled.  The  edition  which  has  appeared, 
does  not  contain  the  anecdote  of  the  heron  plume.  Did  this  arise  from 
reserve  on  the  part  of  the  editors,  or  some  hiatus  in  the  manuscript  ? 
Be  this  as  it  may,  we  have  a  manuscript  which  details  this  anecdote 
at  full  length,  and  we  do  not  hesitate  to  publish  it.a  At  this  day,  when 
the  account  given  by  Madame  Campan  contradicts  that  of  the  Duke 
de  Lauzun ;  at  this  day,  when  his  presumptuous,  selfish,  and  foolish 
character  is  known,  what  he  says  may  retain  its  malignity,  but  can 
gain  no  credit.  We  now  see  in  his  memoirs  nothing  more  than  the 
false  and  despicable  insinuations  of  a  coxcomb  deceived  in  his  expecta- 
tion, and  whose  wounded  vanity  seeks  a  revenge  unworthy  of  a  nan  of 
honour. — Note  by  the  Editors. 

"See  Historical  Illustrations  (O). 


MARIE   ANTOINETTE.  163 

respect,  observed  by  persons  of  the  most  exalted  rank  towards 
royal  majesty,  was  never  forgotten.* 

The  Queen,  entirely  occupied  with  the  society  of  Madame  de 

*  This  testimony  is  confirmed  by  an  historian,  the  following  extract 
from  whom  will  certainly  be  read  with  interest : — 

"  We  shall  have  occasion  to  quote  a  few  fragments  of  letters,  from 
which  an  idea  of  the  strict  friendship  that  united  the  Queen  and  the 
Duchess  de  Polignac,  may  be  drawn.  Suffice  for  the  present  the  fol- 
lowing note  written  by  the  Queen  to  the  Duchess,  in  answer  to  a  letter 
in  which  the  latter,  after  an  illness  that  had  confined  her  a  few  days  in 
Paris,  wrote  to  the  Queen  that  she  should  soon  have  the  honour  of  pay- 
ing her  respects  to  her : — 

"  '  I  am  doubtless  more  impatient  for  our  meeting  than  you,  for  to- 
morrow I  shall  come  and  dine  with  you  at  Paris.' 

"  And  in  fact,  the  Queen  did  go  and  dine  with  her  friend. — It  must 
be  confessed,  that  this  strict  friendship  between  a  sovereign  and  a  sub- 
ject, appears  the  more  extraordinary  as  being  utterly  unexampled. 
Howevcr^that  it  did  exist,  cannot  be  denied :  unprincipled  people, 
therefore^Bad  no  other  course  to  pursue,  than  to  suppose  a  criminal 
motive  for  this  friendship ;  and  they  succeeded  but  too  well. 

"  When  the  real  scheme  of  dethroning  the  unfortunate  Louis  XVI. 
was  once  determined  on,  it  was  thought  proper  to  begin  by  degrading 
him  ;  the  most  efficacious  way  to  do  which,  was  to  attack  the  morals  of 
the  Queen.  It  was  also  essential  to  the  success  of  this  infernal  plot, 
that  the  Duchess  de  Polignac  should  be  lowered  in  public  opinion,  be- 
fore the  princess  herself  was  attacked.  For  if  the  Duchess  could  be 
made  to  appear  deserving  of  universal  contempt,  the  opprobrium  cast 
on  her  would  stain  her  august  friend  also. 

"  Libels  against  Madame  de  Polignac,  therefore,  were  not  spared. 
The  author  of  this  history  has  been  often  asked  whether  he  had  read 
those  libels  ?  and  who,  unfortunately,  has  not  ?  but  he,  in  his  turn,  de- 
manded that  those  who  wrote  them  should  own  them,  and  produce  their 
proofs.  He  was  never  answered ;  and  all  intelligent  persons  who  were 
well  acquainted  with  the  Duke  and  Duchess  de  Polignac,  appeared  to 
him  convinced,  that  the  authors  of  those  libels  were  vile  calumniators, 
hired  by  the  enemies  of  the  King  and  Queen.  He  even  interrogated  the 
Duchess's  servants,  who  had  nothing  more  to  hope  for  from  their  mis- 
tress ;  and  their  answers  proved  that  she  was  beloved  by  her  people, 
and  that  in  the  bosom  of  her  family  she  led  the  most  decorous  and 
regular  life. 

"  In  short,  the  author  has  not  met  with  a  single  person  who  had  ever 
15* 


164  MEMOIRS  OF 

Polignac,  and  amusements  which  succeeded  each  other  in  an 
unbroken  series,  had,  for  some  time,  found  but  little  leisure  for 
the  Abbe"  de  Vermond ;  he,  therefore,  resolved  to  retire  from 
court.  The  world  did  him  the  honour  to  believe,  that  he  had 
hazarded  remonstrances  upon  his  august  pupil's  frivolous  employ- 
ment of  her  time,  and  that  both  as  an  ecclesiastic  and  as 
instructor,  he  was  now,  when  at  court,  out  of  his  place ;  but  the 
world  deceived  itself:  his  dissatisfaction  arose  purely  from  the 
favour  shown  to  the  Countess  Jules.  After  a  fortnight's 
absence,  we  saw  him  at  Versailles  again,  resuming  his  usual 
functions.  I  will  relate,  by  and  by,  his  motives  for  absenting 
himself,  and  the  conditions  for  which  he  stipulated,  upon  his 
return. 


even  received  the  slightest  offence  from  the  Duke  de  Polignac  or  his 
Duchess.  Having  to  decide  between  heavy  accusations,  altogether 
unsupported  by  any  kind  of  evidence,  on  the  one  hand,  and  indisputable 
facts  on  the  other,  he  was  naturally  bound  to  pronounce  fong^e  latter : 
his  character  of  an  historian  did  not  admit  of  his  doing  otherwise." 
(History  of  Marie  Antoinette,  by  Montjoie). — Note  by  the  Editor. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  166 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Joseph  the  Second  visits  France — His  Reception  at  the  Opera — Fete 
given  to  him  by  the  Queen  at  Trianon — First  Pregnancy  of  the  Queen 
— Voltaire's  Return  to  Paris — Duel  between  the  Count  d'Artois  and 
the  Duke  de  Bourbon — Return  of  the  Chevalier  d'Eon  to  France — Par- 
ticulars relative  to  his  Missions,  and  the  Causes  of  his  Disguise — Night 
Promenades  upon  the  Terrace  of  Trianon — Coupl^ytgainst  the  Queen 
— Indignation  of  Louis  XVI. — The  birth  of  Mad 


plets  ag 
ulan*. 


FROM  the  time  of  Louis  XVL's  accession  to  the  throne,  the 
Queen  had  been  expecting  a  visit  from  her  brother  the  Emperor 
Joseph  II.  That  prince  was  the  constant  theme  of  her  dis- 
course. She  boasted  of  his  intelligence,  his  love  of  occupation, 
his  military  knowledge,  and  the  perfect  simplicity  of  his  man- 
ners. Those  about  her  majesty  ardently  wished  to  see  at 
Versailles  a  prince  so  worthy  of  his  rank.  At  length,  the 
coming  of  Joseph  II.,  under  the  title  of  Count  Falkenstein, 
was  announced,  and  the  very  day  on  which  he  would  be  at 
Versailles  was  mentioned.*  The  first  interview  between  the 
Queen  and  her  august  brother,  took  place  in  the  presence  of  all 
the  Queen's  household.  It  was  extremely  affecting;  the  feel- 
ings of  nature  excite  the  strongest  interest,  when  displayed  by 
sovereigns  in  all  their  unrestrained  force. 

The  Emperor  was,  at  first,  generally  admired  in  France;  men 
of  science,  skilful  officers,  and  celebrated  artists,  were  sensible 

*  The  Queen  received  the  Emperor  at  Versailles,  and  did  not  go  to 
meet  him  in  a  cabriolet,  as  is  said  in  some  of  the  collections  of  anec- 
dotes respecting  the  court  of  Louis  XVI. ;  especially  in  a  very  respect- 
able work,  in  which  this  false  anecdote  is  inserted ;  as  it  is  likewise  in 
the  .Er\qlish  Spy,  from  which  it  mKs  probably  taken. 

Note  by  Madame  Campan. 


166  MEMOIRS  OF 

of  the  great  extent  of  his  information.  He  made  less  impres- 
sion at  court,  and  very  little  in  the  private  circle  of  the  King 
and  Queen.  His  manners  were  eccentric,  his  frankness  often 
degenerated  into  rudeness,  and  his  simplicity  appeared  evidently 
affected ;  from  these  characteristics  he  was  looked  upon  rather 
as  a  singular  than  an  admirable  prince.  The  Queen  spoke  to 
him  about  the  apartment  she  had  prepared  for  him  in  the  castle ; 
the  Emperor  answered  that  he  would  not  accept  of  it,  and  that 
while  travelling  he  always  lodged  at  a  public  house  (that  was 
his  very  expression) :  the  Queen  insisted,  and  assured  him  that 
he  should  be  at  perfect  liberty,  and  placed  out  of  the  reach  of 
noise.  He  replied,  that  he  knew  the  chateau  of  Versailles  was 
extensive  enouajft  and  that  he  might  claim  a  place  there,  as 
well  as  any  ofjfje  other  blackguards  who  were  lodged  in  it ; 
but  that  his  valet  de  chambre  had  made  up  his  camp-bed,  in  a 
ready-furnished  house,  and  there  he  would  lodge. 

He  dined  with  the  King  and  Queen,  and  supped  wijfc  the 
whole  family  assembled  together.  He  appeared  to  take  an 
interest  in  the  young  Princess  Elizabeth,  then  just  past  child- 
hood, and  blooming  in  all  the  freshness  of  that  age.  A  report 
of  an  intended  marriage  between  him  and  this  young  sister  of 
the  King,  was  circulated  a't  the  time,  but  I  believe  it  had  no 
foundation  in  truth. 

The  table  still  continued  to  be  attended  by  females  only, 
when  the  Queen  dined  in  private  with  the  King,  the  royal 
family,  or  crowned  heads.*  I  was  present  at  the  Queen's 

*  The  custom  was,  that,  even  supposing  dinner  to  have  commenced, 
if  a  princess  of  the  blood  arrived,  and  she  was  asked  to  sit  down  at 
the  Queen's  table,  the  comptrollers  and  gentlemen  in  waiting  immedi- 
ately came  to  attend,  and  the  Queen's  women  withdrew.  These  had 
succeeded  the  maids  of  honour  in  several  parts  of  their  service,  and  had 
preserved  some  of  their  privileges.  One  day  the  Duchess  d'Orleans 
arrived  at  Fontainebleau,  at  the  Queen's  dinner-hour.  The  Queen 
invited  her  to  the  table,  and  herself  motioned  to  her  women  to  leave 
the  room  and  let  the  men  take  their  nlaces.  Her  majesty  said  she  was 
resolved  to  continue  a  privilege  whicu*fcept  places  of  that  description 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  167 

dinner  almost  every  day.  The  Emperor  would  there  speak 
much  and  fluently ;  he  expressed  himself  in  our  language  with 
facility,  and  the  singularity  of  his  expressions  added  a  zest  to 
his  conversation.  1  have  often  heard  him  say  that  he  liked 
speetaculous  objects,  when  he  meant  to  express  such  things  as 
formed  a  show,  or  a  scene  worthy  of  interest.  He  disguised 
none  of  his  prejudices  upon  the  subject  of  the  etiquette  and 
customs  of  the  court  of  France;  and  even  in  the  presence  of 
the  King  aimed  his  sarcasms  at  them.*  The  King  smiled,  but 
never  made  any  answer;  the  Queen  appeared  to  feel  pain  from 
them.  The  Emperor  frequently  terminated  his  observations 
upon  the  objects  in  Paris,  which  he  had  admired,  by  reproaching 
the  King  for  remaining  in  ignorance  of  thea^^JIc  could  not 
conceive  how  such  rich  treasures  of  art  shoulc^^Aaia  shut  up 

honourable,  and  rendered  them  a  fit  resort  for  ladies  of  birth  without 
fortune. 

Madame  de  Misery,  Baroness  de  Biachc,  the  Queen's  first  lady  of  the 
chamber,  to  whom  I  was  reversioner,  was  a  daughter  of  the  Count  de 
Chemant,  and  her  grandmother  was  a  Montmorency.  The  Prince  de 
Tingry,  in  the  presence  of  the  Queen,  used  to  call  her  cousin. 

The  ancient  household  of  the  kings  of  France  conferred  prerogatives 
acknowledged  in  the  state.  Many  of  the  offices  were  tenable  only  by 
those  of  noble  blood,  and  were  sold  at  from  40,000  to  300,000  francs. 
A  collection  of  edicts  of  the  kings  in  favour  of  the  prerogatives  and 
right  of  precedence  of  the  persons  holding  office  in  the  King's  house- 
hold, is  still  in  existence. — Note  by  Madame  Campan. 

*  Joseph  II.  had  a  taste,  or  perhaps,  we  may  say,  a  talent  for  satire. 
A  collection  of  his  letters  has  just  been  published  in  which  his  bitter 
raillery  spares  neither  the  nobility  nor  the  clergy,  nor  even  his  brother 
kings.  Two  or  three  of  these  letters  will  be  found  at  the  end  of  the 
volume,  letter  (P) ;  they  belong  to  the  subject  treated  of  by  Madame 
Campan,  since  they  add  a  few  touches  more  to  the  picture  of  Joseph 
II. 

His  caustic  humour  found,  however,  fair  game  in  the  etiquette  ob- 
served at  the  court  of  France.  If  we  wish  to  form  an  idea  of  this 
tyranny,  which  annoyed  princely  personages  every  instant  of  the  day, 
and  followed  them,  in  a  manner,  even  to  the  nuptial  bed,  we  must  read  a 
curious  paper  inserted  by  MftdameCampan  among  her  Historical  Illus- 
trations (No.  2).—  Note,  by  l/ie  Editor, 


168    .  MEMOIRS  OF 

in  the  dust  of  immense  depositories  ;*  and  told  him  one  day, 
that  but  for  the  practice  of  placing  some  of  them  in  the  apart- 
ments of  Versailles,  he  would  not  know  even  the  principal 
chef-d'ceuvres  that  he  possessed. f  He  also  reproached  him  for 
not  having  visited  the  Hotel  des  Invalides,  or  the  military 
school ;  and  even  went  so  far  as  to  tell  him  before  us,  that  he 
ought  not  only  to  know  what  Paris  contained,  but  to  travel  in 
France,  and  reside  a  few  days  in  each  of  his  large  towns. 

At  last  the  Queen  was  really  hurt  at  the  Emperor's  indiscreet 
sincerity,  and  gave  him  a  few  lectures  upon  the  thoughtlessness 
with  which  he  allowed  himself  to  lecture  others.  One  day,  she 
was  busied  in  signing  warrants  and  orders  for  payment  for  her 
household,  aud^jps  conversing  with  M.  Augeard,  her  secretary 
for  such  niaj^R,  who  presented  the  papers  one  after  another  to 
be  signed,  IKWreplaced  them  in  his  portfolio.  While  this  was 
going  forward,  the  Emperor  walked  about  the  room ;  all  at  once 
he  stopped,  to  censure  the  Queen  rather  severely  for  signing  all 
those  papers  without  reading  them,  or,  at  least,  without  running 
her  eye  over  them ;  and  he  spoke  most  judiciously  to  her  upon 
the  danger  of  signing  her  name  inconsiderately.  The  Queen 
answered,  that  very  wise  principles  might  be  very  ill  applied; 
that  her  secretary  for  orders,  who  deserved  her  implicit  confi- 
dence, was  at  that  moment  laying  before  her  nothing  but  orders 
for  payment  of  the  quarter's  expenses  of  her  household,  regis- 
tered in  the  chamber  of  accounts ;  and  that  she  ran  no  risk  of 
giving  her  signature  for  any  improper  design. J 

*  Shortly  after  the  Emperor's  departure,  the  Count  d'Angivillers  laid 
before  the  King  plans  for  the  erection  of  the  Museum,  which  was  then 
begun. — Note  by  Madame  Campan. 

•}•  The  Emperor  loudly  blamed  the  practice  existing  at  that  time,  of 
allowing  shopkeepers  to  erect  shops  near  the  outward  walls  of  all  the 
palaces,  and  to  establish  something  like  a  fair  upon  the  staircases,  in 
the  galleries  of  Versailles  and  Fontainebleau,  and  even  up  to  each 
landing-place  of  the  great  staircases. — Note  by  Madame  Campan. 

J  This  anecdote  is  confirmed  by  the  information  Madame  Campan 
gives,  respecting  the  order  establudied  inthe  accounts  relating  to  the 
funds  belonging  to  the  Queen's  prl^  purse,  in  her  Historical  Illustra- 
tions (Note  No.  3)  -  Note  by  the  Editor. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  169 

The  Queen's  toilette  was  likewise  a  never-failing  subject  for 
animadversion  with  the  Emperor.  He  blamed  her  for  having 
introduced  too  many  new  fashions ;  and  teased  her  about  her 
use  of  rouge,  to  which  his  eyes  could  not  accustom  themselves. 
One  day,  while  she  was  laying  on  more  of  it  than  usual,  before 
going  to  the  play,  he  advised  her  to  put  on  still  more ;  and 
pointing  out  a  lady  who  was  in  the  room,  and  was,  in  truth, 
highly  painted,  "  A  little  more  under  the  eyes,"  said  the  Em- 
peror to  the  Queen  :  "  lay  on  the  rouge  like  a  fury,  as  that  lady 
does."  The  Queen  entreated  her  brother  to  cease  observations 
of  this  sort,  and,  at  all  events,  to  address  them,  when  they  were 
so  severe,  to  her  alone.  This  manner  of  criticising  established 
fashions  and  customs,  agreed  very  well  with  the  sneering  spirit 
which  then  prevailed ;  otherwise  the  Emperor  woujkl  have  been 
generally  blamed.  Those  who  from  principle  adhered  to  the 
ancient  customs,  were  the  only  persons  displeased,  and  were 
indeed  much  offended  with  him  for  his  misplaced  frankness. 

The  Queen  had  made  an  appointment  to  meet  him  at  the 
Italian  theatre ;  her  majesty  changed  her  mind,  and  went  to  the 
French  theatre.  She  sent  a  page  to  the  Italian  theatre,  to 
request  her  brother  would  come  to  her.  The  Emperor  left  his 
box,  lighted  by  the  comedian  Clairval,  and  attended  by  M.  de 
la  Ferle,  comptroller  of  the  Queen's  privy  purse,  who  was  much 
hurt,  at  hearing  his  imperial  majesty,  after  condescendingly  ex- 
pressing his  regret  at  not  being  present  during  the  Italian  per- 
formance, say  to  Clairval,  "  Your  young  Queen  is  very  giddy ; 
but,  luckily,  you  Frenchmen  have  no  great  objection  to  that." 

I  was  with  my  father-in-law  in  one  of  the  Queen's  apart- 
ments, when  the  Emperor  came  to  wait  for  her  there,  and  know- 
ing that  M.  Campan  did  the  duty  of  librarian,  he  conversed 
with  him  about  such  books  as  would  of  course  be  found  in  the 
Queen's  library.  After  talking  of  our  most  celebrated  authors, 
he  casually  said,  "  There  are  no  works  on  finance  or  administra- 
tion here,  of  course." 

These  words  were  followed  by  his  opinion  on  all  that  had 
been  written  on  those  topics,  and  the  differing  systems  of  our 


170  MEMOIRS  OF 

two  famous  ministers,  Sully  and  Colbert ;  on  the  errors  which 
were  daily  committed,  in  France,  in  points  so  essential  to  the 
prosperity  of  the  empire;  and  on  the  reform  he  himself  would 
make  at  Vienna,  as  soon  as  he  should  be  able :  holding  M.  Cam- 
pan  by  the  button,  he  spent  more  than  an  hour  talking  vehe- 
mently, and  without  the  slightest  reserve,  about  the  French 
government.  This  was  certainly  wrong,  for  the  Emperor  should 
have  conversed  with  the  secretary-librarian  only  upon  matters 
connected  with  his  office,  if  he  had  consulted  delicacy  and 
dignity.  But  he  was  so  full  of  self-sufficiency  respecting  the 
science  of  government,  that  he  fell  into  this  childish  error.  He 
talked  nearly  an  hour.  My  father-in-law  and  myself  continued 
in  profound  silence,  as  much  from  astonishment  as  from  respect; 
and  when  we  were  left  alone,  we  agreed  not  to  speak  of  this 
interview. 

The  Emperor  was  fond  of  telling  secret  anecdotes  of  the 
Italian  courts  that  he  had  visited ;  the  jealous  quarrels  between 
the  King  and  Queen  of  Naples,  amused  him  highly;  he  de- 
scribed to  the  life  the  manner  and  speech  of  that  sovereign,  and 
the  simplicity  with  which  he  used  to  go  and  solicit  the  first 
chamberlain,  to  obtain  permission  to  return  to  the  nuptial  bed, 
when  the  angry  Queen  had  banished  him  from  it.  The  time 
which  he  was  made  to  wait  for  this  reconciliation,  was  calculated 
between  the  Queen  and  her  chamberlain,  and  always  propor- 
tioned to  the  gravity  of  the  offence.  He  also  related  several 
very  amusing  stories  relative  to  the  court  of  Parma,  of  which  he 
spoke  with  no  little  contempt.  If  what  this  prince  said  of  those 
courts,  and  even  of  Vienna,  had  been  written  down  from  day 
to  day,  the  whole  would  have  formed  a  very  interesting  collec- 
tion. I  recollect  but  one  anecdote  which  calls  to  mind  the 
infatuation  of  Leopold,  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany,  for  the  system 
of  the  economists,  and  gives  an  idea  of  the  judgment  the  Empe- 
ror had  formed  of  him.  The  Emperor  related  to  the  King,  that 
the  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany  and  the  King  of  Naples  being  toge- 
ther, the  former  talked  much  about  the  changes  he  had  effected 
in  his  state.  He  said  he  had  issued  a  vast  number  of  new 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  171 

edicts,  in  order  to  carry  the  precepts  of  the  economists  into  exe- 
cution, and  trusted  that  in  so  doing,  he  was  labouring  for  the 
welfare  of  his  people.  The  King  of  Naples  suffered  him  to  go 
on  speaking  for  a  long  time,  and  then  merely  asked  him  how 
many  Neapolitan  families  there  were  in  Tuscany.  The  duke 
soon  reckoned  them  up,  as  they  were  but  few.  "Well,  bro- 
ther/' replied  the  King  of  Naples,  "I  do  not  understand  the 
indifference  of  your  people  respecting  this  said  welfare ;  for  I 
have  four  times  the  number  of  Tuscan  families  settled  in  my 
states,  that  you  have  of  Neapolitan  families  in  yours." 

The  Queen  being  at  the  opera  with  the  Emperor,  the  latter 
did  not  wish  to  show  himself ;  but  she  took  him  by  the  hand, 
and  with  a  little  gentle  force  drew  him  forward  to  the  first  row 
of  the  box.  This  presentation  to  the  public  was  most  warmly 
received.  The  performance  was  Iphigenia  in  Aulis,  and,  for  the 
second  time,  the  chorus,  Chantons,  celebrons  notre  Reine  !  was 
called  for  with  the  greatest  ardour,  and  sung  in  the  midst  of 
universal  plaudits. 

A  fete  of  a  novel  description  was  given  at  Petit  Trianon. 
The  art  with  which  the  English  garden  was  lighted,  not  illumi- 
nated,— produced  a  charming  effect :  earthen  lamps  concealed  by 
painted  green  boards,  threw  light  upon  the  beds  of  shrubs  and 
flowers,  and  brought  out  their  several  tints  in  the  most  varied 
and  pleasing  manner.  Several  hundred  burning  faggots  in  the 
moat  behind  the  temple  of  Love,  kept  up  a  blaze  of  light,  which 
rendered  that  spot  the  most  brilliant  in  the  garden.  After  all, 
this  evening's  entertainment  had  nothing  remarkable  about  it, 
beyond  that  for  which  it  was  indebted  to  the  good  taste  of  the 
artists ;  yet  it  was  much  talked  of.  The  situation  did  not  allow 
of  the  admission  of  a  great  part  of  the  court ;  those  who  were 
uninvited,  were  dissatisfied ;  and  the  people,  who  never  forgive 
any  fetes  but  those  they  share  in,  contributed  greatly  to  the 
envious  exaggerations  which  were  circulated  as  to  the  cost  of  this 
little  fete,  which  were  so  ridiculously  absurd,  as  to  state  that 
the  faggots  burnt  in  the  moat  required  the  destruction  of  a  whole 
forest.  The  Queen,  being  informed  of  these  reports,  was  deter- 

VOL.  i. — 16 


172  MEMOIRS  OF 

mined  to  know  exactly  how  much  wood  had  been  consumed; 
and  she  found  that  fifteen  hundred  faggots  had  sufficed  to  keep 
up  the  fire  until  four  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

The  Emperor  left  France,  after  staying  a  few  months,  and 
promised  his  sister  to  come  and  see  her  again. 

All  the  officers  of  the  Queen's  chamber  had  taken  many  op- 
portunities of  serving  him  during  his  stay,  and  expected  that 
he  would  make  presents  before  his  departure.  Their  oath  of 
office  positively  forbade  them  receiving  a  gift  from  any  foreign 
prince ;  they  had  therefore  agreed  to  refuse  the  Emperor's  pre- 
sents at  first,  but  to  ask  the  time  necessary  for  obtaining  permis- 
sion to  accept  of  them.  The  Emperor,  probably  informed  of 
this  custom,  relieved  the  good  people  from  the  difficulty  of  get- 
ting themselves  released  from  their  oath  ;  for  he  set  off  without 
making  a  single  present. 

The  Countess  d'Artois  already  had  two  children,  while  the 
Queen  had  not  even  a  hope  of  giving  heirs  to  the  throne.  There 
were  many  secret  conjectures  respecting  the  obstacles  which 
could  so  long  have  opposed  this.  At  last,  about  the  latter  end 
of  1777,  the  Queen,  being  alone  in  her  closet,  sent  for  my  father- 
in-law  and  myself,  and  giving  us  her  hand  to  kiss,  told  us,  that 
looking  upon  us  both  as  persons  deeply  interested  in  her  happi- 
ness, she  wished  to  receive  our  congratulations ;  that  at  length 
she  really  was  the  Queen  of  France,  and  that  she  hoped  soon  to 
.have  children;  that  up  to  that  moment  she  had  concealed  her 
grief,  but  that  she  had  shed  many  tears  in  secret. 

We  have  calculated  and  found  that  she  was  brought  to  bed 
of  Madame,  daughter  of  the  King,  exactly  a  year  after  the  con- 
fidence she  had  deigned  to  repose  in  us.  This  tardy  consumma- 
tion was  not  made  public. 

Dating  from  this  long-delayed  but  happy  moment,  the  King's 
attachment  to  the  Queen  assumed  every  characteristic  of  love ; 
the  good  Lassone,  first  physician  to  the  King  and  Queen,  fre- 
quently spoke  to  me  of  the  uneasiness,  that  the  King's  indiffer- 
ence, the  cause  of  which  he  had  been  so  long  in  overcoming,  had 


MARIE   ANTOINETTE.  178 

given  him,  and  appeared  to  me  at  that  time  to  entertain  anxiety 
of  a  very  different  description. 

In  the  winter  of  1778,  the  King's  permission  for  the  return 
of  Voltaire,  after  an  absence  of  twenty-seven  years,  was  obtained. 
A  few  austere  or  cautious  persons,  considered  this  condescension 
on  the  part  of  the  court  as  very  injudicious.  The  Emperor,  on 
leaving  France,  passed  by  Ferney,  and  did  not  think  fit  to  stop 
there.  He  had  advised  the  Queen  not  to  suffer  Voltaire  to  be 
presented  to  her.  A  lady  belonging  to  the  court,  learned  the 
Emperor's  opinion  on  that  point,  and  reproached  him  with  his 
want  of  enthusiasm  towards  the  greatest  genius  of  the  age  :  he 
replied,  that  for  the  good  of  the  people,  he  should  always  endea- 
vour to  profit  by  the  knowledge  of  the  philosophers ;  but  that 
his  own  business  of  sovereign  would  always  prevent  his  ranking 
himself  amongst  the  adepts  of  that  sect.  The  clergy,  also,  took 
steps  to  hinder  Voltaire's  appearance  at  court.  Paris,  however, 
carried  the  honours  paid  to  the  great  poet,  to  the  highest  pitch 
of  enthusiasm.  It  was  highly  imprudent  to  give  the  people  of 
Paris  an  opportunity  of  showing  with  how  much  pleasure  they 
could  maintain  an  opinion  contrary  to  that  of  the  court.  This 
was  pointed  out  to  the  Queen,  and  she  was  told,  that,  without 
conferring  on  Voltaire  the  honour  of  a  presentation,  she  might 
see  him  in  the  state  apartments.  She  was  not  very  adverse  to 
following  this  advice,  and  appeared  embarrassed  solely  about 
what  she  should  say  to  him,  in  case  of  consenting  to  see  him. 
She  was  recommended  to  talk  to  him  about  nothing  but  the 
Henriade,  Merope,  and  Zaire.  The  Queen  told  those  who  had 
taken  the  liberty  to  make  these  observations  to  her,  that  she 
would  still  consult  a  few  other  persons,  in  whom  she  had  great 
confidence.  The  next  day  she  gave  for  answer,  that  it  was  irre- 
vocably decided  Voltaire  should  not  see  any  member  of  the 
royal  family — his  writings  being  full  of  principles  which  aimed 
too  directly  at  religion  and  morals.  "  It  is,  however,  strange," 
said  the  Queen,  as  she  gave  this  answer,  "  that  while  we  refuse 
to  admit  Voltaire  into  our  presence,  as  the  leader  of  philosophi- 
cal writers,  Madame  la  Marechale  de  Mouchy,  with  all  the 


174  MEMOIRS  OF 

intriguing  disposition  of  the  sect,  should  have  presented  to  me, 
some  years  ago,  Madame  Geoffrin,  who  owed  her  celebrity  to 
the  title  of  foster-mother  of  the  philosophers." 

When  the  intended  duel  of  the  Count  d'Artois  with  the  Prince 
de  Bourbon  was  known,  the  Queen  determined  to  see  the  Baron 
Besenval,  who  was  to  be  one  of  the  persons  present  at  the  meet- 
ing, privately,  in  order  to  communicate  the  King's  intentions  : 
I  read,  with  infinite  pain,  the  manner  in  which  that  simple  fact 
is  perverted,  in  M.  de  Besenval' s  Memoirs.  He  is  right  in 
saying  that  M.  Carnpan  led  him  through  the  upper  corridors  of 
the  chateau,  and  introduced  him  into  an  apartment  unknown  to 
him ;  but  the  air  of  romance  given  to  the  interview  is  equally 
culpable  and  ridiculous.  M.  de  Besenval  says,  that  he  found 
himself,  without  knowing  how  he  came  there,  in  a  plain  apart- 
ment, but  very  conveniently  furnished,  of  the  existence  of 
which  he  was  till  then  utterly  ignorant.  He  was  astonished,  he 
adds,  not  that  the  Queen  should  have  so  many  facilities,  but  that 
she  should  have  ventured  to  procure  them.  Ten  printed  sheets 
of  the  woman  La  Motte's  impure  libels  contain  nothing  so  in- 
jurous  to  the  character  of  Marie  Antoinette,  as  these  lines,  writ- 
ten by  a  man  whom  she  honoured  by  kindness  thus  undeserved. 
He  could  not  possibly  have  had  any  opportunity  of  knowing  the 
existence  of  these  apartments,  which  consisted  of  a  very  small 
ante-chamber,  a  bedchamber,  and  a  closet.  Ever  since  the 
Queen  had  occupied  her  own  apartment,  this  had  been  appro- 
priated to  her  majesty's  lady  of  honour,  in  cases  of  confinement 
or  sickness,  and  was  actually  in  such  use,  when  the  Queen  was 
confined.  It  was  so  important  that  it  should  not  be  known  the 
Queen  had  spoken  to  the  baron  before  the  duel,  that  she  had 
determined  to  go  through  her  inner  room  into  this  little  apart- 
ment, to  which  M.  Campan  was  to  conduct  him.  When  men 
write  upon  times  still  in  remembrance,  they  should  be  scrupu- 
lously exact,  and  not  indulge  in  any  exaggerations  or  construc- 
tions of  their  own. 

The  Baron  de  Besenval,  in  his  Memoirs,  appears  mightily 
surprised  at  the  Queen's  sudden  coolness,  and  in  a  very  unfa- 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  175 

vourable  manner,  refers  to  the  fickleness  of  her  disposition.  I 
can  explain  the  reason  for  the  change,  by  repeating  what  her 
majesty  said  to  me  at  the  time ;  and  I  will  not  alter  one  of  her 
expressions.  Speaking  of  the  strange  presumption  of  men, 
and  the  reserve  with  which  women  ought  always  to  treat  them, 
the  Queen  added,  that  age  did  not  deprive  them  of  the  hope  of 
pleasing,  if  they  retained  any  agreeable  qualities ;  that  she  had 
treated  the  Baron  de  Besenval  as  a  brave  Swiss,  agreeable,  polish- 
ed, and  witty,  whose  gray  hairs  had  induced  her  to  look  upon 
him,  as  a  man  whom  she  might  see  without  fear  of  censure  ;  but 
that  she  had  been  much  deceived.  Her  majesty,  after  having 
enjoined  me  to  the  strictest  secrecy  upon  what  she  was  about  to 
impart,  informed  me,  that  finding  herself  alone  with  the  baron, 
he  began  to  address  her  with  so  much  gallantry,  that  she  was 
thrown  into  the  utmost  astonishment,  and  that  he  was  mad 
enough  to  fall  upon  his  knees,  and  make  her  a  declaration  in 
form.  The  Queen  added,  that  she  said  to  him  ;  "  Rise,  sir  :  the 
King  shall  not  be  informed  of  an  offence  which  would  disgrace 
you  for  ever ;"  that  the  baron  grew  pale,  and  stammered  an 
apology ;  that  she  left  her  closet  without  saying  another  word, 
and  that  since  that  time,  she  hardly  ever  spoke  to  him.  The 
Queen  said  to  me  on  this  occasion  :  "  It  is  delightful  to  have 
friends ;  but  in  a  situation  like  mine,  it  is  sometimes  difficult  to 
adopt  the  friends  of  our  friends." 

The  baron,  like  a  bold  courtier,  knew  how  to  digest  both  the 
shame  attendant  on  a  step  so  blameable,  and  the  resentment 
which  had  of  course  succeeded.  He  did  not  lose  the  honoura- 
ble distinction  of  being  on  the  list  of  persons  received  in  the 
society  of  Trianon. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  year  1779,  Chevalier  d'Eon  obtained 
permission  to  return  to  France,  on  condition  that  he  should 
appear  there  in  no  other  dress  than  that  of  a  female.  The 
Count  de  Vergennes  entreated  my  father,  M.  G-enet,  chief  clerk 
of  foreign  affairs,  who  had  long  known  the  Chevalier  d'Eon,  to 
receive  that  whimsical  personage  at  his  house,  to  guide  and 
restrain,  if  possible,  his  restless  disposition.  The  Queen,  on 
10* 


176  MEMOIRS   OF 

learning  his  arrival  at  Versailles,  sent  a  footman  to  desire  my 
father  to  bring  him  into  her  presence ;  my  father  thought  it  his 
duty  first  to  inform  the  minister  of  her  majesty's  wish.  The 
Count  de  Vergennes  expressed  himself  pleased  with  my  father's 
prudence,  and  desired  him  to  accompany  him  to  the  Queen. 
The  minister  had  a  few  minutes'  audience ;  her  majesty  came 
out  of  her  closet  with  him,  and  finding  my  father  in  the  room 
beyond  it,  condescended  to  express  to  him  the  regret  she  felt, 
at  having  troubled  him  to  no  purpose ;  and  added  smiling,  that 
a  few  words  which  M.  de  Vergennes  had  just  said  to  her,  had 
for  ever  cured  her  of  her  curiosity.  The  late  discovery  and 
confirmation  in  London,  respecting  the  true  sex  of  this  pre- 
tended woman,  gives  room  for  belief  that  the  few  words  uttered 
by  the  minister  for  foreign  affairs,  to  the  Queen,  contained 
merely  a  solution  of  the  enigma.  It  is  known  that  while  the 
Chevalier  d'Eon  was  minister  plenipotentiary  in  London,  he 
outrageously  attacked  the  honour  of  the  Count  de  Guerchy ;  and 
the  court  of  France  not  permitting  him  to  make  his  appearance 
again  in  his  own  country  in  any  other  dress  than  that  of  a 
woman,  they  made  some  atonement  for  his  insulting  conduct 
towards  a  family  of  consideration. 

The  Chevalier  d'Eon  had  been  useful  in  Russia  in  the  private 
espionage  of  Louis  XV.  While  still  very  young,  he  had  found 
means  to  introduce  himself  at  the  court  of  the  Empress  Eliza- 
beth, and  had  served  that  sovereign  in  the  capacity  of  reader. 
Resuming  afterwards  his  military  dress,  he  served  with  honour, 
and  was  wounded.  Appointed  chief-secretary  of  legation,  and 
afterwards  minister  plenipotentiary  at  London,  he  offended  Count 
de  Guerchy  the  ambassador,  by  the  most  unpardonable  insults. 
They  were  of  such  a  nature,  that  the  official  order  for  the  cheva- 
lier's return  to  France  was  actually  delivered  to  the  King's 
council ;  but  Louis  XV.  delayed  the  departure  of  the  courier 
who  was  to  be  the  bearer  of  it,  and  sent  off  another  courier  pri- 
vately, who  gave  the  Chevalier  d'Eon  a  letter  in  his  own  writing, 
in  which  he  said,  "  I  know  that  you  have  served  me  as  effectually 
in  the  dress  of  a  woman,  as  in  that  which  you  now  wear.  RC' 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  177 

sumc  it  instantly ;  withdraw  into  the  city ;  I  warn  you  that  the 
King  yesterday  signed  an  order  for  your  return  to  France ;  you 
are  not  safe  in  your  hotel,  and  you  will  here  find  too  powerful 
enemies."  I  heard  the  Chevalier  d'Eon  repeat  the  contents  of 
this  letter,  in  which  Louis  XV.  thus  separated  his  personal  exist- 
ence from  that  of  the  King  of  France,  several  times  at  my 
father's.  The  Chevalier,  or  rather  the  CJievaliere  d'Eon,  had 
preserved  all  the  King's  letters.  Messieurs  de  Maurepas  and 
de  Vergennes  wished  to  get  these  letters  out  of  his  hands,  as 
they  feared  he  would  print  them.  This  eccentric  being  had  long 
solicited  his  return  to  France :  but  it  was  neccessary  to  find  a 
way  of  sparing  the  family  he  had  offended  the  kind  of  insult 
they  would  see  in  his  return :  he  was  therefore  made  to  resume 
the  costume  of  that  sex,  in  which  in  France  everything  is  par- 
doned. The  desire  to  see  his  native  land  once  more,  undoubt- 
edly, determined  him  to  submit  to  the  condition,  but  he  con- 
soled himself  by  contrasting  the  long  train  of  his  gown  and  his 
three  deep  ruffles,  with  the  attitude  and  conversation  of  a  grena- 
dier; which,  however,  made  him  very  disagreeable  company. 

At  last  the  event  so  long  desired  by  the  Queen,  and  by  all 
those  who  wished  her  well,  took  place.  Her  majesty  became 
pregnant :  the  King  was  in  ecstasies  on  the  occasion.  Never 
was  there  a  more  united  or  happier  couple.  The  disposition  of 
Louis  XVI.  was  entirely  altered,  and  was  become  prepossessing 
and  conciliatory  ;  he  had  submitted  to  the  yoke  of  love,  and  the 
Queen  was  well  compensated  for  the  uneasiness  which  the  King's 
indifference,  during  the  early  part  of  their  union,  had  caused  her. 

The  summer  of  1778  was  extremely  hot.  July  and  August 
passed ;  but  the  air  was  not  cooled  by  a  single  shower.  The 
Queen,  incommoded  by  her  size,  spent  whole  days  in  close  rooms, 
and  could  not  sleep  until  she  had  breathed  the  fresh  night  air, 
which  she  did,  walking  with  the  princesses  and  her  brothers, 
upon  the  terrace-  under  her  apartments.  These  promenades  at 
first  gave  rise  to  no  remarks ;  but  it  occurred  to  some  of  the 
party,  to  enjoy  the  music  of  wind-instruments  during  these  fine 
summer  nights.  The  musicians  belonging  to  the  chapel  were 


178  MEAIOIRS  OF 

ordered  to  perform  pieces  suited  to  instruments  of  that  descrip- 
tion, upon  steps  constructed  in  the  middle  of  the  garden.  The 
Queen,  seated  on  one  of  the  terrace  benches,  enjoyed  the  effect 
of  this  music,  surrounded  by  the  whole  of  the  royal  family,  with 
the  exception  of  the  King,  who  joined  them  but  twice,  disliking 
to  break  in  upon  his  hour  of  going  to  bed.  Nothing  could  be 
more  innocent  than  these  parties;  yet  Paris,  France,  nay,  all 
Europe,  were  soon  canvassing  them  in  a  manner  most  disadvan- 
tageous to  the  reputation  of  Marie  Antoinette.  It  is  true,  that 
all  the  inhabitants  of  Versailles  chose  to  enjoy  these  serenades, 
and  that  there  was  a  crowd  near  the  spot  from  eleven  at  night, 
until  two  or  three  in  the  morning.  The  windows  of  the  ground 
floor,  occupied  by  Monsieur  and  Madame,  were  kept  open,  and 
the  terrace  was  perfectly  well  lighted  by  the  numerous  wax 
candles  burning  in  the  two  apartments.  Lamps  were  likewise 
placed  in  the  garden,  and  the  lights  of  the  orchestra  illuminated 
the  rest  of  the  place. 

I  do  not  know  whether  a  few  inconsiderate  females  might  not 
have  ventured  farther,  and  wandered  to  the  bottom  of  the  park  : 
it  may  have  been  so ;  but  the  Queen,  Madame,  and  the  Countess 
d'Artois  were  always  arm-in-arm,  and  never  left  the  terrace. 
The  princesses  were  not  remarkable  when  seated  on  the  benches, 
being  dressed  in  cambric  muslin  gowns,  with  large  straw  hats 
and  muslin  veils,  a  costume  universally  adopted  by  females  at 
that  time ;  but  when  standing  up,  their  different  figures  always 
distinguished  them ;  and  the  persons  present  stood  on  one  side 
to  let  them  pass.  It  is  true,  that  when  they  seated  themselves 
upon  the  benches,  private  individuals  would  sometimes,  to  their 
great  amusement,  come  and  sit  down  by  their  side.  A  young 
clerk  in  the  war  department,  lively  and  of  good  address,  either 
not  knowing  the  Queen,  or  pretending  not  to  know  her,  spoke 
to  her.  The  beauty  of  the  night,  and  the  delightful  effect  of 
the  music,  formed  the  subject  of  the  conversation.  The  Queen, 
fancying  she  was  not  recognised,  amused  herself  by  keeping  up 
the  incognita,  and  they  talked  of  several  private  families  of  Ver- 
sailles, who  were  perfectly  well  known  to  the  Queen,  as  they  all 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  179 

consisted  of  persons  belonging  to  the  King's  household,  or  her 
own.  After  thus  passing  a  few  minutes,  the  Queen  and  prin- 
cesses rose  to  walk,  and  on  leaving  the  bench,  curtsied  to  the 
clerk.  The  young  man  knowing,  or  having  subsequently  dis- 
covered, that  he  had  been  conversing  with  the  Queen,  boasted 
of  it  in  his  office.  On  this  being  made  known,  he  was  desired 
to  hold  his  tongue;  and  so  little  attention  did  he  excite,  that 
the  Revolution  found  him  still  a  mere  clerk  as  before.  Another 
evening,  one  of  Monsieur's  body-guard,  in  the  same  manner, 
came  and  seated  himself  near  the  princesses,  and  knowing  them, 
left  the  place  where  he  was  sitting,  and  came  up  to  the  Queen, 
to  tell  her  that  he  was  very  fortunate  in  being  able  to  seize  an  op- 
portunity of  imploring  the  kindness  of  his  sovereign :  that  he  was 
soliciting  at  court — at  the  word  soliciting,  the  Queen  and  prin- 
cesses rose  hastily  and  withdrew  into  Madame' s  apartment.* 

I  was  at  the  Queen's  residence  that  very  day.  She  talked  of 
this  little  occurrence  all  the  time  of  her  coucher;  though  she 
only  complained  that  one  of  Monsieur's  guards  should  have  the 
effrontery  to  speak  to  her.  Her  majesty  added,  that  he  ought 
to  have  respected  her  being  incognita ;  and  that  that  was  not 
the  place  where  he  should  have  ventured  to  make  a  request. 
Madame  had  recognised  him,  and  talked  of  making  a  complaint 
to  his  captain ;  the  Queen  opposed  it,  attributing  his  error  to  his 
ignorance  and  provincial  origin. 

The  most  scandalous  tales  were  made  up  and  inserted  in  the 
libels  of  the  day,  respecting  these  two  insignificant  occurrences, 
which  I  have  related  with  scrupulous  exactness.  Nothing  could 
be  more  false  than  those  calumnious  reports.  It  must  be  con- 
fessed, however,  that  such  meetings  were  liable  to  serious  ill 
consequences.  I  ventured  to  say  as  much  to  the  Queen,  and 
informed  her  that  one  evening,  when  her  majesty  had  beckoned 
to  me  to  go  and  speak  to  her,  on  the  bench  on  which  she  was 
sitting,  I  thought  I  recognised  two  women,  deeply  veiled,  who 
were  seated  in  profound  silence  by  her  side  j  that  those  women 

*  Soulavie  has  most  crimijially  perverted  these  two  facts. 

Note  by  Madame  Campan. 


180  MEMOfRS  OF 

were  no  other  than  the  Countess  du  Barry  and  her  sister-in-law  • 
and  that  my  suspicions  were  confirmed  when,  at  a  few  paces 
from  the  seat,  and  nearer  to  her  majesty,  I  met  a  tail  footman 
belonging  to  Madame  du  Barry,  and  whom  I  had  seen  in  her 
service  all  the  time  she  resided  at  court. 

My  advice  was  useless.  Misled  by  the  pleasure  she  found  in 
these  promenades,  and  lulled  into  security  by  the  consciousness 
of  blameless  conduct,  the  Queen  would  not  see  the  lamentable 
results  by  which  they  must  necessarily  be  followed.  This  was 
very  unfortunate;  for,  besides  the  mortifications  they  brought 
upon  her,  it  is  highly  probable  that  they  prompted  the  idea  of 
the  vile  romance  which  gave  rise  to  the  Cardinal  de  Rohan's 
fatal  error. 

Having  enjoyed  these  evening  promenades  about  a  month,  the 
Queen  ordered  a  private  concert  within  the  colonnade  which  con- 
tains the  group  of  Pluto  and  Proserpine.  Sentinels  were  placed 
at  all  the  entrances  into  the  grove,  and  ordered  to  admit  within 
the  colonnade  only  such  persons  as  should  produce  tickets,  signed 
by  my  father-in-law.  A  fine  concert  was  performed  there  by 
the  musicians  of  the  chapel,  and  the  female  musicians  belonging 
to  the  Queen's  chamber.  The  Queen  went  with  Mesdames  de 
Polignac,  de  Chalon,  and  d'Andlau,  and  Messieurs  de  Polignac, 
de  Coigny,  de  Besenval,  and  de  Vaudreuil;  there  were  also  a 
few  equerries  present.  Her  majesty  gave  me  permission  to 
attend  the  concert,  with  some  of  my  female  relations.  There 
was  no  music  upon  the  terrace.  The  crowd  of  inquisitive  people, 
whom  the  sentinels  kept  at  a  distance  from  the  enclosure  of  the 
colonnade,  went  away  highly  discontented;  and  the  most  disgust- 
ing calumnies  were  circulated  respecting  this  private  concert.* 

*  This  anecdote  is  in  the  same  manner  detestably  perverted  in  Sou- 
lavie'S  'infamous  collection ;  yet  his  six  volumes  are,  unfortunately, 
admitted  into  libraries,  and  particularly  into  the  libraries  of  foreigners. 

Note  by  Madame  Campan.*- 

»  On  this  passage  we  shall  maintain  the  same  reserve  as  on  one  mentioned  before. 
The  Abbe  Soulavie's  calumnies  against  the  Queen,  shall  find  no  place  in  this  work. 
No  writer,  who  has  any  respect  for  himself,  will  repeat  what  he  has  ventured  to  say. 
As  to  those  undiscerning  foreigners,  who  place  Soulavie's  work  in  their  libraries,  we 
must  say  they  can  have  neither  a  very  delicate  taste,  nor  very  enlightened  minds. 

Note  by  the  Editors. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  181 

Many  people  wished  to  enjoy  it,  and  it  really  was  very  de- 
lightful. The  small  number  of  the  persons  admitted,  no  doubt, 
occasioned  jealousy,  and  gave  rise  to  offensive  comments,  which 
were  caught  up  by  the  public  with  avidity.  It  is  very  essential 
to  know  how  far  the  proceedings  of  the  great  should  be  matters 
of  calculation.  I  do  not  pretend  here  to  apologize  for  the  kind 
of  amusement  with  which  the  Queen  indulged  herself  this  and 
the  following  summer;  the  consequences  were  so  lamentable,  that 
the  error  was  no  doubt  very  great.  The  result  will  prove  it :  I 
shall  not  withhold  that  result,  but  what  I  have  said  respecting 
the  character  of  these  promenades,  may  be  relied  on  as  true. 

When  the  season  for  evening  walks  was  at  an  end,  odious 
couplets  were  spread  about  Paris :  the  Queen  was  treated  in 
them  in  the  most  insulting  manner ;  her  pregnancy  had  ranked 
among  her  enemies  persons  attached  to  the  only  prince  who,  for 
several  years,  had  appeared  likely  to  give  heirs  to  the  crown. 
People  ventured  upon  the  most  inconsiderate  language :  and 
those  improper  conversations  took  place  in  societies,  wherein 
the  imminent  danger  of  violating,  to  so  criminal  an  extent,  both 
truth  and  the  respect  due  to  sovereigns,  ought  to  have  been 
better  understood.  A  few  days  before  the  Queen's  confinement, 
a  whole  volume  of  manuscript  songs,  concerning  her  and  all  the 
ladies  about  her,  any  way  remarkable  for  rank  or  station,  was 
thrown  in  at  the  bull's-eye.  This  manuscript  was  immediately 
put  into  the  hands  of  the  King,  who  was  highly  incensed  at  it, 
and  said  that  he  had  himself  been  at  those  promenades,  that  he 
had  seen  nothing  connected  with  them  but  what  was  perfectly 
harmless ;  that  such  songs  would  disturb  the  harmony  of  twenty 
families  of  the  court  and  city ;  that  it  was  a  capital  crime  to 
have  made  any  against  the  Queen  herself,  and  that  he  would 
have  the  author  of  the  infamous  libels  sought  out,  discovered, 
and  punished.  A  fortnight  afterwards  it  was  known  publicly, 
that  the  verses  were  by  M.  Champcenetz  de  Riquebourg,*  who 
was  not  even  molested. 

*  This  Monsieur  Champcenetz  de  Riquebourg,  was  known  as  the 
author  of  a  great  many  songs,  some  of  which  are  very  well  written. 


182  MEMOIRS  OF 

I  was  assured  at  the  time  that  the  King  spoke  to  M.  de  Mau- 
repas, before  two  of  his  most  confidential  servants,  respecting 
the  risk  which  he  saw  the  Queen  ran  from  these  night  walks 
upon  the  terrace  of  Versailles,  the  public  venturing  to  censure 
them  thus  openly — the  old  minister  had  the  cruel  policy  to 
answer  the  King,  that  she  should  be  suffered  to  go  on ;  that  she 
possessed  talent;  that  her  friends  were  very  ambitious,  and 
longed  to  see  her  take  a  part  in  public  affairs ;  and  that  to  let 
her  acquire  the  reputation  of  levity,  would  do  no  harm.*  M. 

Lively  and  satirical  by  nature,  he  did  not  lose  either  his  cheerfulness 
or  his  carelessness  before  the  revolutionary  tribunal ;  where,  after  hear- 
ing his  own  sentence  of  condemnation  read,  he  asked  his  judges  if  he 
might  not  be  allowed  to  find  a  substitute. — Note  by  Madame  Campan. 

*  This  specimen  of  artifice,  so  characteristic  of  an  old  politician,  of 
a  minister  who  sacrificed  even  the  honour  of  his  sovereign  to  the  pre- 
servation of  his  place,  agrees  well  with  the  portrait  of  the  Count  Mau- 
repas,  drawn  by  Marmontel.  We  quote  those  passages  of  it  which  bear 
most  upon  his  conduct,  on  the  occasion  mentioned  by  Madame  Campan. 

"  Watchful  attention  to  preserve  his  ascendancy  over  the  King's  mind, 
and  his  predominance  in  the  council,  rendered  him  jealous  even  of  the 
objects  of  his  own  choice ;  this  restlessness  was  the  only  powerful  emo- 
tion of  his  mind.  Beyond  this,  he  had  no  energy,  no  activity  of  cou- 
rage either  for  good  or  for  evil ;  weakness  without  kindness,  malice 
without  rancour,  resentment  without  anger,  indifference  for  the  future, 
which  he  was  not  to  live  to  see,  possibly  a  sincere  anxiety  for  the  public 
welfare,  when  he  could  promote  it  without  any  danger  to  himself, 
but  chilled  the  moment  it  involved  either  his  credit  or  his  quiet — such 
to  the  last  were  the  characteristics  of  the  old  statesman  who  served  the 
young  King  as  his  guide  and  counsellor." 

The  former  part  of  this  portrait,  remarkable  as  well  for  its  faithful 
representation  of  the  original,  as  for  the  skill  of  the  painter,  will  be 
found  among  the  Historical  Illustrations  (letter  Q).  We  will  only  add 
to  this  note,  that  the  judgment  formed  by  Madame  Campan  upon  the 
culpable  conduct  of  the  Count  de  Maurepas,  is  confirmed  by  a  writer, 
with  whom,  in  other  respects,  she  is  very  seldom  in  accordance. 

"It  is  known,"  says  Soulavie,  "that  in  1774,  1775,  and  1776,  M.  de 
Maurepas  stirred  up  private  quarrels  between  Louis  XVI.  and  his  wife, 
on  pretence  of  the  Queen's  inconsiderate  conduct.  M.  de  Maurepas 
was  fond  of  interfering  in  family  disputes  between  man  and  wife. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  183 

de  Vergennes  was  as  hostile  to  the  Queen's  influence  as  M.  de 
Maurepas.  It  may,  therefore,  be  fairly  presumed,  since  the 
prime  minister  durst  point  out  to  his  King  an  advantage  to  be 
gained  by  the  Queen's  degrading  herself,  that  he  and  M.  de 
Vergennes  employed  all  those  means  within  the  reach  of  power- 
ful ministers,  and  availed  themselves  of  the  slightest  errors  of 
that  unfortunate  princess,  in  order  to  ruin  her  in  the  opinion 
of  the  public. 

The  Queen's  pregnancy  advanced  :  Te  Denims  were  sung  and 
prayers  offered  up  in  all  the  cathedrals.  At  length,  on  the  llth 
of  December,  1778,  the  Queen  felt  her  pains  come  on.  The 
royal  family,  princes  of  the  blood,  and  great  officers  of  state, 
passed  the  night  in  the  rooms  adjoining  the  Queen's  bedcham- 
ber. Madame,  the  King's  daughter,  came  into  the  world  before 
mid-day  on  the  19th  of  December.  The  etiquette  of  allowing 
all  persons  indiscriminately  to  enter  at  the  moment  of  the  deli- 
very of  a  Queen,  was  observed  so  literally,  that  at  the  instant 
when  the  accoucheur,  Vermond,  said  aloud,  La  reine  va  s'ac- 
coucher,  the  torrents  of  inquisitive  persons  who  poured  into  the 
chamber  were  so  great  and  tumultuous,  that  the  rush  was  near 
destroying  the  Queen.  During  the  night  the  King  had  taken 
the  precaution  to  have  the  enormous  tapestry  screens,  which 
surrounded  her  majesty's  bed,  secured  with  cords :  had  it  not 
been  for  this  foresight  they  certainly  would  have  been  thrown 
down  upon  her.  It  was  impossible  to  move  about  the  chamber, 
which  was  filled  with  so  motley  a  crowd,  that  any  one  might 
have  fancied  himself  in  some  place  of  public  amusement.  Two 
Savoyards  got  upon  the  furniture  to  obtain  a  better  sight  of  the 
Queen,  who  was  placed  opposite  the  fireplace,  upon  a  bed  pre- 
pared for  the  moment  of  delivery.  The  noise,  and  the  sex  of 
the  infant,  which  the  Queen  was  made  acquainted  with  by  a 
signal  previously  agreed  on,  as  it  is  said,  with  the  Princess  de 
Lamballe,  or  some  error  of  the  accoucheur,  brought  on  symptoms 
which  threatened  the  most  fatal  consequences;  the  accoucheur 

The  go-betweens,  whom  he  made  use  of,  raised  the  strongest  prejudices 
against  the  Queen." — Note  by  the  Editors. 
VOL.  I. 17 


184  MEMOIRS  OF 

exclaimed  :  "Give  her  air — warm  water — she  must  be  bled  in 
the  foot !"  The  windows  were  caulked  up ;  the  King  opened 
them  with  a  strength  which  his  affection  for  the  Queen  gave 
him  at  the  moment.  They  were  of  great  height,  and  pasted 
over  with  strips  of  paper  all  round.  The  basin  of  hot  water  not 
being  brought  quickly  enough,  the  accoucheur  desired  the  chief 
surgeon  to  use  his  lancet  without  waiting  for  it.  He  did  so ; 
the  blood  streamed  out  freely,  and  the  Queen  opened  her  eyes. 
The  joy  which  now  succeeded  to  the  most  dreadful  apprehen- 
sions, could  hardly  be  contained.  The  Princess  de  Lamballe 
was  carried  through  the  crowd  in  a  state  of  insensibility.  The 
valets  de  chambre  and  pages  dragged  such  inconsiderate  persons 
as  would  not  leave  the  room,  out  by  the  collar.  This  cruel  eti- 
quette was  abolished  ever  afterwards.  The  princes  of  the  family, 
the  princes  of  the  blood,  the  chancellor  and  the  ministers  are 
surely  sufficient  to  attest  the  legitimacy  of  an  hereditary  prince. 
The  Queen  was  snatched  from  the  very  jaws  of  death ;  she  was 
not  conscious  of  having  been  bled,  and  on  being  replaced  in  bed, 
asked  why  she  had  a  linen  bandage  upon  her  foot. 

The  delight  which  succeeded  the  moment  of  fear,  was  equally 
lively  and  sincere.  We  were  all  embracing  each  other,  and 
shedding  tears  of  joy.  The  Count  d'Esterhazy  and  the  Prince 
de  Poix,  to  whom  I  was  the  first  to  announce  that  the  Queen 
had  spoken  and  was  restored  to  life,  inundated  me  with  their 
tears,  and  embraced  me  in  the  midst  of  a  whole  room  full  of 
the  nobility. — When  recalling  those  bursts  of  happiness,  those 
transports  of  delight,  that  moment  when  heaven  gave  us  back 
again  a  princess  beloved  by  all  about  her,  how  often  have  I 
reflected  upon  that  impenetrable  and  wholesome  obscurity,  by 
which  all  knowledge  of  the  future  is  concealed  from  us !  What 
should  we  not  have  felt,  if  in  the  midst  of  our  joyful  delirium, 
a  heavenly  voice,  unfolding  the  secret  decree  of  fate,  had  cried 
to  us  :  "  Bless  not  that  human  art  which  calls  her  back  to  life ; 
weep  rather  for  her  return  to  a  world,  fatal  and  cruel  to  the 
object  of  your  affections.  Ah!  let  her  leave  it  honoured, 
beloved,  regretted.  You  can  now  weep  over  her  grave,  you  can 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  186 

now  cover  it  with  flowers — the  day  will  come  when  all  the  furies 
of  the  earth,  after  having  pierced  her  heart  with  a  thousand 
envenomed  darts;  after  having  engraven  on  her  noble  and 
enchanting  features  the  premature  marks  of  age,  will  deliver 
her  over  to  an  execution  more  cruel  than  that  inflicted  upon 
criminals;  will  deprive  her  body  of  burial,  and  will  precipitate 
you  into  the  same  gulf  with  herself,  if  you  suffer  the  slightest 
demonstration  of  compassion,  at  so  dreadful  a  spectacle,  to 
escape  you." 


186  MEMOIRS  OF 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Public  Rejoicings — Death  of  Maria  Theresa;  the  Queen's  Affliction — 
Anecdotes  of  Maria  Theresa — Birth  of  the  Dauphin — Bankruptcy  of 
the  Prince  de  Gue'me'ne'e — The  Duchess  de  Polignac  is  appointed  Go- 
verness of  the  Children  of  France  —  Jealousy  of  the  Court  People  — 
Interesting  particulars — Stay  at  Trianon — Mode  of  Life  there — Pre- 
sumption of  the  Duke  de  Fronsac — American  war — Franklin — M.  de 
la  Fayette  —  Order  for  admitting  none  but  Gentlemen  to  the  rank  of 
Officer — Spirit  of  the  Third  Estate. 

Ax  length  the  Queen  was  restored  to  our  fondest  wishes. 
During  the  moment  of  alarm,  regret  at  not  possessing  an  heir  to 
the  throne,  was  not  even  thought  of.  The  King  himself  was 
wholly  occupied  with  the  care  of  preserving  an  adored  wife. 
The  young  princess  was  presented  to  the  Queen.  She  pressed 
her  to  her  truly  maternal  heart :  "  Poor  little  one,"  said  she, 
"you  are  not  what  was  wished  for,  but  you  are  not  on  that 
account  less  dear  to  me.  A  son  would  have  been  rather  the 
property  of  the  state.  You  shall  be  mine;  you  shall  have  my 
undivided  care,  shall  share  all  my  happiness,  and  console  me  in 
all  my  troubles." 

The  King  despatched  a  courier  to  Paris;  and  wrote  letters 
himself  to  Vienna,  by  the  Queen's  bedside :  part  of  the  rejoic- 
ings ordered  took  place  in  the  capital,  and  the  age  of  the  King 
and  Queen  affording  ground  for  a  presumption  that  they  would 
have  a  numerous  progeny,  hope  was  again  turned  towards  a  new 
pregnancy.* 

*  The  Queen's  propitious  delivery  was  celebrated  throughout  France. 
The  birth  of  Madame  inspired  more  than  one  poet.  The  following 
madrigal,  by  Jmbert,  was  much  esteemed  : — 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  187 

A  great  number  of  attendants  watched  near  the  Queen  during 
the  first  nights  of  her  confinement.  This  made  her  uneasy;  she 
knew  how  to  feel  for  others,  and  ordered  large  arm-chairs  for 
her  women,  the  backs  of  which  were  capable  of  being  let  down 
by  springs,  and  which  served  perfectly  well  instead  of  beds. 

M.  de  Lassone,  the  chief  physician,  the  chief  surgeon,  the 
chief  apothecary,  the  principal  officers  of  the  buttery,  &c.,  &c., 
were  likewise  nine  nights  without  going  to  bed.  The  royal 
children  were  in  like  manner  watched  for  a  long  time,  and  some 
one  of  the  nurses  remained  nightly  up  and  dressed  during  the 
first  three  years  from  their  birth. 

The  Queen  made  her  entry  into  Paris  for  the  churching.  One 
hundred  maidens  were  portioned  and  married  at  Notre  Dame. 
There  were  only  a  few  popular  acclamations,  but  her  majesty 
was  perfectly  well  received  at  the  opera.* 

A  dauphin  we  asked  of  our  Queen ; 

A  princess  announces  him  near 
Since  one  of  the  graces  is  seen, 
Young  Cupid  will  quickly  appear. 

Note  by  the  Editor. 

*  The  acts  of  benevolence  performed  by  the  officers  of  the  city  did 
not  prevent  them  from  amusing  the  people  with  the  usual  noisy  fetes. 
There  were  illuminations,  feux  de  joie,  fire-works,  fountains  of  wine, 
and  distributions  of  bread  and  sausages.  All  the  theatres  of  Paris 
were  open,  gratis — that  was  a  new  treat  to  the  public.  Every  theatre 
was  full  before  noon,  and  the  performance  began  at  two  o'clock. 
The  French  comedians  performed  Zaire  and  the  little  piece  called,  Le 
Florentin.  In  spite  of  all  the  precautions  taken  to  preserve  the  King's 
box  for  the  charcoal  venders,  who  were  accustomed  to  occupy  it  on 
similar  occasions,  as  the  poissardes,  or  market  women  did  that  of  the 
Queen,  their  places  were  occupied  when  they  arrived.  They  were  in- 
formed of  this,  and  thought  it  very  strange.  These  two  chief  classes 
of  the  lower  orders  were  seen  disputing  upon  etiquette,  with  almost  as 
much  pertinacity  as  noblemen  or  sovereign  courts.  They  demanded  to 
know  why  the  boxes,  appropriated  to  them  by  custom,  had  been  suffered 
to  be  occupied.  It  was  necessary  to  call  the  officer  for  the  week,  and 
the  histrionic  senate  being  assembled  in  consultation,  the  registers 
were  inspected,  and  the  legitimacy  of  the  claim  was  acknowledged, 

17* 


188  MEMOIRS  OF 

A  few  days  after  the  Queen's  recovery  from  her  confinement^ 
the  cure"  of  the  Magdelaine  de  la  Cite,  at  Paris,  wrote  to 
M.  Campan,  and  requested  a  private  interview  with  him;  it 
was  to  desire  he  would  deliver  into  the  hands  of  the  Queen,  a 
little  box,  containing  her  wedding  ring,  with  this  note  written  by 
the  cure" :  "  I  have  received  under  the  seal  of  confession,  the 
ring  which  I  send  to  your  majesty;  with  an  avowal,  that  it  was 
stolen  from  you  in  1771,  in  order  to  be  used  in  sorceries,  to  pre- 
vent your  having  any  children."  On  seeing  her  ring  again,  the 
"Queen  said  that  she  had,  in  fact,  lost  it  about  seven  years  before, 
while  washing  her  hands ;  and  that  she  had  made  it  a  rule  with 
herself  to  use  no  endeavour  to  discover  the  superstitious  woman 
who  had  done  her  the  injury. 

The  Queen's  attachment  for  the  Countess  Jules  increased 
every  day ;  she  went  frequently  to  her  house  at  Paris,  and  even 
took  up  her  own  abode  at  the  Chateau  de  la  Muette,  to  be  more 
at  hand  to  visit  her  during  her  confinement.*  She  married  Ma- 

An  offer  was  then  made  to  the  charcoal  venders  to  go  upon  the  stage, 
and  they  all  sat  there  on  the  King's  side,  upon  benches  prepared  for 
them.  The  poissardes  followed  and  placed  themselves  on  the  opposite 
side.  Such  grave  questions  of  precedence  well  deserve  to  be  particu- 
larized in  memoirs  of  the  times.  Since  the  revolution  neither  the  char- 
coal venders  nor  the  poissardes  are  distinguished  in  the  gratis  perform- 
ances ;  all  ranks  are  confounded  together.  It  appears  to  us  only  just 
that  every  one  should  know  his  rights  and  keep  his  place. 

Note  by  the  Editor. 

*  The  following  extract  from  Montjoie  describes  the  Queen's  feelings 
towards  her  friend : 

"The  Duchess  de  Polignac,"  says  Montjoie,  in  the  Life  of  Marie  An- 
toinette, "  actually  sunk  under  the  fatigues  of  the  kind  of  life  which 
her  devotion  to  the  Queen  had  imposed  upon  her,  and  which,  however, 
was  so  little  to  her  taste.  Her  health  declined  in  an  alarming  degree  : 
the  physicians  ordered  her  the  Bath  waters.  As  it  was  the  established 
custom  of  the  court,  that  the  governess  of  the  children  of  France  should 
never  be  absent  from  them,  the  duchess  saw  herself,  by  this  order  of 
the  physicians,  placed  in  the  alternative,  of  either  continuing  an  office, 
the  duty  of  which  her  bad  health  prevented  from  fulfilling— or,  of  resign- 
ing. She  tendered  her  resignation  to  the  Queen ;  who,  having  listened 


MARIE   ANTOINETTE.  189 

demoiselle  de  Polignac,  who  was  scarcely  thirteen  years  of  age, 
to  M.  de  Grrammont,  who,  on  account  of  this  marriage,  was  made 
Duke  de  Guiche,  and  captain  of  the  King's  guards,  in  reversion 
after  the  Duke  de  Villeroi.  The  Duchess  de  (Jurae,  Madame 
Victoire's  dame  d'honneur,  had  been  promised  the  place  for  the 
Duke  de  Lorges,  her  son ;  and  all  this  much  increased  the 
number  of  discontented  families  at  court. 

The  name  of  favourite  was  too  openly  given  to  the  Countess 
Jules  by  her  friends :  the  lot  of  the  favourite  of  a  Queen,  is 
not,  in  France,  a  happy  one  ;  the  favourites  of  Kings  are  treated, 
out  of  gallantry,  with  much  greater  indulgence. 

A  short  time  after  the  birth  of  Madame,  the  Queen  again  be- 
came pregnant ;  she  had  mentioned  it  only  to  the  King,  to  her 
physician,  and  to  a  few  persons  honoured  with  her  intimate  con- 
fidence, when  having  exerted  her  strength  in  pulling  up  one  of 
the  glasses  of  her  carriage,  she  felt  that  she  had  hurt  herself, 
and  eight  days  afterwards  she  miscarried.  The  King  spent  the 
whole  morning  at  her  bed-side,  consoling  her,  and  manifesting 
the  tenderest  concern  for  her.  The  Queen  wept  exceedingly; 
the  King  took  her  affectionately  in  his  arms,  and  mingled  his 
tears  with  hers.  The  Queen  repeated  several  times  that  she  was 
glad  she  had  not  mentioned  her  pregnancy  in  her  family ;  that 
people  would  not  have  failed  to  attribute  her  misfortune  to  some 
imprudence  of  her  own,  while  in  fact  it  had  been  occasioned  by 
a  very  simple  accident.  The  King  enjoined  silence  among  the 

to  her  in  silence,  with  her  eyes  bathed  in  tears,  replied  in  the  following 
terms : — 

"  'You  ought  not  to  part  from  me,  nor  can  you  do  it — your  heart 
coul  not  suffer  it.  In  the  rank  I  fill,  it  is  difficult  to  meet  with  a 
friend ;  and  yet  it  is  so  useful — so  comfortable  to  confide  in  an  estima- 
ble person !  You  do  not  judge  of  me  as  the  common  herd  do — you  know 
that  the  splendour  which  surrounds  me,  adds  nothing  to  happiness — 
you  are  not  ignorant  that  my  mind,  full  of  bitterness  and  troubles  which  I 
must  conceal,  feels  the  necessity  for  a  heart  that  feels  them.  Ought  I 
not  then  to  thank  Heaven  for  having  given  me  a  friend,  like  you — faith- 
ful, feeling,  attached  to  me  for  my  own  sake,  and  not  for  the  sake  of 
my  rank  ?  The  benefit  is  inestimable  ! — for  God's  sake  do  not  deprive 
me  of  it.'  "-  -Note  by  the  Editor. 


190  MEMOIRS  OF 

small  number  of  persons  who  were  informed  of  this  unfortunate 
occurrence ;  and  it  remained  generally  unknown.  It  was  some 
time  before  the  Queen  recovered  her  health ;  the  King  was  much 
interested  in  it,  and  waited  impatiently  for  the  moment  when 
new  Lopes  might  be  indulged.  These  particulars,  which  are 
punctually  true,  furnish  the  most  accurate  idea  of  the  manner 
in  which  this  august  couple  lived  together. 

The  Empress  Maria  Theresa  did  not  enjoy  the  happiness  of 
seeing  her  daughter  give  an  heir  to  the  crown  of  France.  That 
illustrious  princess  terminated  her  mortal  career  about  the  close 
of  1780,  after  having  proved  by  her  example  that,  as  in  the 
instance  of  Queen  Blanche,  the  talents  of  a  sovereign  might  be 
blended  with  the  virtues  of  a  pious  princess.  The  King  was 
deeply  affected  at  the  death  of  the  Empress  ;  and  on  the  arrival 
of  the  courier  from  Vienna,  said,  that  he  could  not  bring  him- 
self to  afflict  the  Queen  by  informing  her  of  an  event,  which 
grieved  even  him  so  much.  His  majesty  thought  the  Abb4  de 
Vermond,  who  had  possessed  the  confidence  of  Maria  Theresa, 
during  his  stay  at  Vienna,  the  most  proper  person  to  discharge 
this  painful  duty  towards  the  Queen.  He  sent  his  first  valet  de 
chambre,  M.  de  Chamilly,  to  him  on  the  evening  of  the  day  he 
received  the  despatches  from  Vienna,  and  ordered  him  to  come 
the  next  day  to  the  Queen  before  her  breakfast  hour :  to  acquit 
himself  discreetly  of  the  afflicting  commission  with  which  he 
was  charged ;  and  to  let  his  majesty  know  the  moment  of  his 
entering  the  Queen's  chamber.  It  was  the  King's  intention  to 
be  there  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after  him,  and  he  was  punc- 
tual to  his  time ;  he  was  announced ;  the  Abb6  came  out ;  and 
his  majesty  said  to  him,  as  he  drew  up  at  the  door  to  let  him 
pass,  "  I  thank  you.  Monsieur  I'Abbd,  for  the  service  you  have 
just  done  me."  This  was  the  only  time,  during  nineteen  years, 
that  the  King  spoke  to  him. 

So  great  was  the  Queen's  grief,  that  it  was  right  to  anticipate 
and  provide  against  its  effects.  Within  an  hour  after  learning 
the  event  she  put  on  temporary  mourning,  while  waiting  until 
her  court  mourning  should  be  ready ;  she  kept  herself  shut  up 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  191 

in  her  closet  for  several  days ;  went  out  only  to  mass;  saw  none 
but  the  royal  family ;  and  received  none  but  the  Princess  de 
Lamballe  and  the  Duchess  de  Polignac.  She  never  ceased  talk- 
ing of  the  courage,  the  misfortunes,  the  abilities  and  pious  virtues 
of  her  mother.  The  feelings  of  Christian  meekness  never  forsook 
that  princess ;  her  shroud,  and  the  dress  in  which  she  was  to  be 
buried,  made  entirely  by  her  own  hands,  were  found  ready  pre- 
pared in  one  of  her  rooms.  The  Queen  found  no  greater 
comfort  in  her  affliction  than  talking  of  her  beloved  mother; 
she  was  thoroughly  versed  in  the  various  events  which  distin- 
guished the  Empress's  reign,  and  in  all  the  qualities  which  ren- 
dered her  dear  to  her  family,  her  intimates,  and  her  people 
She  often  testified  the  regret  she  felt  in  thinking  that  the 
numerous  duties  of  her  august  mother  had  prevented  her  watch- 
ing, in  person,  over  the  education  of  her  daughters;  and 
modestly  said,  that  she  herself  should  have  been  more  worthy, 
if  she  had  bad  the  good  fortune  to  receive  lessons  directly  from 
a  sovereign  so  enlightened,  and  so  deserving  of  admiration.* 

These  pages  were  penned  long  after  I  was  witness  to,  and 
and  sometimes  depository  of,  things  which  would  have  been 
well  worth  recording.  I  regret  the  loss  of  several  anecdotes  of 
the  court  of  Maria  Theresa  of  which  I  have  only  confused  ideas 
remaining ;  but  I  cannot  avoid  relating  one  in  particular,  which 
struck  me  forcibly,  and  which  still  adheres  to  my  memory.  The 
Queen  told  me  one  day,  that  her  mother  was  left  a  widow  at  an 
age  when  her  beauty  was  yet  striking :  that  she  was  secretly 
informed  of  a  scheme  projected  by  her  three  principal  ministers, 
to  make  themselves  agreeable  to  her ;  of  a  compact  made  be- 

*  Without  desiring  to  lessen  the  high  estimation  in  which  the  virtues 
and  character  of  Maria  Theresa  may  be  justly  held,  it  cannot  be  denied 
that  in  strictness  certain  acts  of  her  policy  are  censurable.  The  com- 
plaisance or  the  weakness  of  the  other  cabinets  of  Europe  did  not 
excuse  her.  "A  bishop  of  Saint  Brieux,  in  a  funeral  oration  upon 
Maria  Theresa,"  says  Chamfort,  "got  over  the  partition  of  Poland  very 
easily :  '  France,'  said  he,  '  having  taken  no  notice  of  the  partition  in 
question,  I  will  do  as  France  did,  and  be  silent  about  it  likewise.' " 

Note  by  the  Editort. 


192  MEMOIRS  OF 

tween  them,  that  the  losers  should  not  suffer  themselves  to  be 
infected  with  any  feeling  of  jealousy  towards  him  who  should 
be  fortunate  enough  to  gain  his  sovereign's  heart;  and  that  they 
had  sworn  that  the  successful  one  should  be  always  the  friend 
and  support  of  the  other  two.  The  Empress,  being  well  assured 
of  this  fact,  one  day,  after  the  breaking  up  of  the  council,  over 
which  she  had  presided,  turned  the  conversation  upon  the  sub- 
ject of  women,  female  sovereigns,  and  the  duties  of  their  sex 
and  rank ;  and  then  applying  her  general  reflections  to  herself 
in  particular,  she  told  them  she  hoped  to  guard  herself  all  her 
life  against  weakness  of  the  heart ;  but  that  if  qver  an  irresisti- 
ble feeling  should  make  her  alter  her  resolution,  it  should  be 
only  in  favour  of  a  man  proof  against  ambition,  not  engaged  in 
state  affairs,  accustomed  and  attached  only  to  a  private  life,  and 
its  calm  enjoyments — in  a  word,  if  her  heart  should  betray  her, 
so  far  as  to  lead  her  to  love  a  man  invested  with  any  important 
ofiice,  from  the  moment  he  should  discover  her  sentiments,  he 
should  be  contented  to  resign  his  place  and  his  influence  with 
the  public.  This  was  sufficient :  the  three  ministers,  more  am- 
bitious than  amorous,  gave  up  their  projects  for  ever. 

The  Queen's  second  pregnancy  was  publicly  known  in  the 
month  of  April ;  her  health  was  excellent  down  to  the  moment 
of  her  confinement.  At  length,  on  the  22d  of  October,  1781, 
she  gave  birth  to  a  dauphin.  So  deep  a  silence  prevailed  in  the 
room,  at  the  moment  the  child  first  saw  the  light,  that  the 
Queen  thought  she  had  only  produced  a  daughter;  but  after 
the  keeper  of  the  seals  had  declared  the  sex  of  the  infant,  the 
King  went  up  to  the  Queen's  bed,  and  said  to  her,  "  Madame, 
you  have  fulfilled  my  wishes,  and  those  of  France ;  you  are  the 
mother  of  a  dauphin."  The  King's  joy  was  boundless;  tears 
streamed  from  his  eyes ;  he  gave  his  hand  to  every  one  present 
without  distinction ;  and  his  happiness  raised  him  quite  above 
his  habitual  manner.  Cheerful  and  affable  to  all,  he  was  inces- 
santly taking  occasion  to  introduce  the  words,  my  son,  or  the 
dauphin.  As  soon  as  the  Queen  was  in  bed,  she  would  see  the 
long-looked-for  infant.  The  Princess  de  Guemenee  brought  it 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  193 

to  her.  The  Queen  told  her  there  was  no  necessity  for  com- 
mending the  precious  deposit  to  her  j  but,  that  in  order  to  enable 
her  to  attend  to  him  more  freely,  she  would  herself  share  with 
her  the  cares  which  the  education  of  her  daughter  required. 
When  the  dauphin  was  settled  in  his  apartment,  he  received  the 
customary  homages  and  visits.  The  Duke  d'Angouleme  meet- 
ing his  father  at  the  entrance  of  the  dauphin's  apartment,  said 
to  him,  "  0,  papa  !  how  little  my  cousin  is  I"  "  The  day  will 
come  when  you  will  think  him  great  enough,  my  dear,"  an- 
swered the  prince,  almost  involuntarily. 

The  birth  of  the  dauphin  appeared  to  crown  the  hopes  of  all 
classes  with  universal  joy;  the  people,  the  nobility,  all  seemed 
in  this  respect  to  belong  to  one  family.  Men  stopped  one 
another  in  the  streets,  spoke  without  being  acquainted,  and  those 
who  were  acquainted  embraced  each  other.  Alas  !  personal  in- 
terest is  much  more  frequently  the  source  of  transports  such  as 
these  than  any  sincere  attachment  to  those  who  seem  to  occasion 
them.  In  the  birth  of  a  legitimate  heir  to  the  sovereign  power, 
every  man  beholds  a  pledge  of  prosperity  and  tranquillity.* 

*  On  the  evening  of  the  very  day  on  which  the  dauphin  was  born, 
Madame  Billoni,  an  actress  of  the  Italian  theatre,  who  represented  a 
fairy  in  the  piece  then  performing,  sang  some  pretty  couplets,  by  Im- 
bert,  of  which  the  following  is  the  sense : — 

On  fairy  pinions  I  advance, 
Great  tidings  to  impart ; 
An  infant  prince  is  born  to  France, 

And  cheers  each  loyal  heart. 
Long  may  this  cherish'd  dauphin  wait, 

Ere  he  the  throne  ascend ; 
And  long  with  glory  rule  the  state, 
Before  his  reign  shall  end. 

M.  Merand  de  Saint  Just  made  a  quatrain  on  the  same  subject  to 
the  following  effect : — 

This  infant  prince  our  hopes  are  center'd  in, 

Will,  doubtless,  make  us  happy,  rich  and  free ; 
And  since  with  somebody  he  must  begin, 
My  fervent  pray'r  is — that  it  may  be  me ! 

Note  by  the  Editor, 


194  MEMOIRS  OF 

The  rejoicings  were  equally  splendid  and  ingenious.  The 
artificers  and  tradesmen  of  Paris  spent  considerable  sums,  in 
order  to  go  to  Versailles  in  a  body,  with  their  various  insignia. 
Their  new  and  elegant  dresses  formed  a  most  agreeable  sight. 
Almost  every  troop  had  music  with  it.  When  they  arrived  at 
the  court  of  the  palace,  they  there  ranged  themselves  ingeniously 
and  presented  a  most  interesting  moving  picture.  Chimney- 
sweepers, quite  as  well  dressed  as  those  that  appear  upon  the 
stage,  carried  an  ornamented  chimney,  at  the  top  of  which  was 
perched  one  of  the  smallest  of  their  fraternity.  The  chairmen 
carried  a  sedan  highly  gilt,  in  which  were  to  be  seen  a  handsome 
nurse  and  a  little  dauphin.  The  butchers  made  their  appear- 
ance, graced  with  good  fat  beef.  Cooks,  masons,  blacksmiths, 
all  trades  were  on  the  alert.  The  smiths  hammered  away  upon 
an  anvil,  the  shoemakers  finished  off  a  little  pair  of  boots  for 
the  dauphin,  and  the  tailors  a  little  suit  of  the  uniform  of  his 
regiment.  The  King  remained  a  long  time  upon  a  balcony  to 
enjoy  the  sight.  The  whole  court  was  delighted  with  it.  So 
general  was  the  enthusiasm,  that  (the  police  not  having  carefully 
examined  the  procession),  the  grave-diggers  had  the  impudence 
to  send  their  deputation  also,  with  the  emblematic  devices  of 
their  ill-omened  occupation.  They  were  met  by  the  princess 
Sophie,  the  King's  aunt,  who  was  thrilled  with  horror  at  the 
sight,  and  entreated  the  King  to  have  the  audacious  fellows 
driven  out  of  the  procession,  which  was  then  drawing  up  on  the 
terrace. 

The  market-women  came  to  congratulate  the  Queen,  and  were 
received  with  the  ceremonies  due  to  that  body  of  dealers.  They 
appeared  to  the  number  of  fifty,  dressed  in  black  silk  gowns, 
the  old  established  full  dress  of  their  order ;  and  they  almost 
all  wore  diamonds.  The  Princess  de  Chimay  went  to  the  door 
of  the  Queen's  bed-room  to  receive  three  of  these  ladies,  who 
were  led  up  to  the  Queen's  bed.  One  of  them  addressed  her 
majesty  in  a  speech  written  by  M.  de  la  Harpe.  It  was  set 
down  on  the  inside  of  a  fan,  to  which  the  speaker  repeatedly 
referred,  but  without  any  embarrassment.  She  was  handsome, 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  195 

and  had  a  remarkably  fine  voice.  The  Queen  was  affected  by  the 
address,  and  answered  it  with  great  affability  :  making  a  distinc- 
tion between  these  women  and  the  poissardes,  who  always  left 
a  disagreeable  impression  on  her  mind.*  The  King  ordered  a 
substantial  repast  for  all  these  women.  One  of  his  majesty'sf 
maitres  d' hotel,  wearing  his  hat,  sat  as  president,  and  did  the 
honours  of  the  table.  The  public  were  admitted,  and  numbers 
of  people  had  the  curiosity  to  go. 

The  Poissardes'  songs  were  numerous,  and  some  of  them 
tolerably  good.  The  King  and  Queen  were  much  pleased  with 
the  following  one,  and  sang  it  several  times  during  the  Queen's 
confinement : — 

Ne  craignez  pas,  cher  papa, 

D'voir  augmenter  vot'  famille 
Le  bon  Dieu  z'y  pourvoira : 

Fait's-en  tant  que  Versaille  en  fourmillc 
Yeut  il  cent  Bourbons  cheu  nous, 

Y  a  du  pain,  du  laurier  pour  tous. 

*  The  poissardes  spoke  three  addresses ;  one  to  the  King,  one  to  the 
Queen,  and  one  to  the  dauphin.  Possibly  the  reader  may  wish  to  see 
them.  To  the  king  they  said : — 

"  Sire,  if  a  son  was  due  from  heaven  to  a  king  who  looks  upon  his 
people  as  his  family,  our  prayers  and  our  wishes  have  long  interceded 
for  one.  At  length  they  are  heard.  We  are  now  certain  that  our  chil- 
dren will  be  as  happy  as  ourselves ;  for  this  child  will  be  like  you.  You 
will  teach  him,  Sire,  to  be  as  just  and  good  as  yourself.  We  will  take 
upon  ourselves  to  teach  our  children  how  to  love  and  respect  their  King." 
To  the  Queen  they  said,  among  other  things, '"  We  have  so  long  loved 
you,  Madame,  wit'iout  daring  to  say  so  to  yourself,  that  all  our  respect 
is  necessary  to  p  event  our  mis-using  the  permission  now  given  to  us 
to  express  it."  And  to  the  dauphin  they  said:  "  You  do  not  understand 
the  wishes  we  express  around  your  cradle  —  they  will  some  day  be 
explained  to  you.  They  .are  all  reducible  to  this,  namely,  that  in  you 
we  may  behold  the  image  of  those  who  gave  you  life."  Anecdotes  of 
the  Reign  of  Louis  XVI.,  Volume  I. — Note  by  the  Editors. 

f  Proofs  of  nobility,  or  at  least  of  being  noble  in  the  third  degree, 
were  required  for  the  office  of  maitre-d'hotel. 

Note  by  Madame  Campan. 
VOL.  I. 18 


196  MEMOIRS  OF 

The  body-guards  obtained  the  King's  permission  to  give  the 
Queen  a  dress-ball  in  the  great  room  of  the  opera-house,  at 
Versailles.  Her  majesty  opened  the  ball  in  a  minuet  with  a 
private,  selected  by  the  corps,  to  whom  the  King  granted  the 
baton  of  an  exempt.  The  fete  was  most  splendid.  All  was 
joy,  happiness,  and  peace. 

The  dauphin  was  a  year  old,  when  the  Prince  de  GuemeneVs 
bankruptcy  compelled  the  princess,  his  wife,  who  was  governess 
to  the  children  of  France,  to  resign  her  situation.* 

The  Queen  was  at  La  Muette,  where  her  daughter  was  under- 
going inoculation.  She  sent  for  me,  and  condescended  to  say, 
she  wished  to  converse  with  me  about  a  scheme  which  delighted 
her,  but  in  the  execution  of  which  she  foresaw  some  inconve- 
niences. Her  plan  was,  to  appoint  the  Duchess  de  Polignac  to 
the  office  lately  heid  by  the  Princess  de  Gruemenee.  She  saw 
with  ecstasy  the  facility  which  this  appointment  would  give  her 
to  superintend  the  education  of  her  children,  without  running 
any  risk  of  hurting  the  pride  of  the  governess;  and  that  it 
would  bring  together,  in  one  place,  all  the  objects  of  her  warm- 
est affections,  her  children  and  her  friend.  "  The  friends  of 
the  Duchess  de  Polignac,"  continued  the  Queen,  "  will  be  grati- 
fied by  the  splendour  and  importance  conferred  by  the  employ- 

*  Le  Brun  had  deposited  all  his  savings  with  the  Prince  de  Gue'me'ne'e, 
whose  bankruptcy  ruined  him.  He  revenged  himself  by  the  following 
epigrammatic  lines;  in  which  may  be  seen  the  bitterness  of  a  satirical 
poet,  and  the  resentment  of  a  creditor : — 

A  prince  full  of  titles — a  sharper  serene — 

Eased  our  purses  of  millions  a  few ; 
See  what  troops  of  old  men ! — what  despair  in  iheir  mien ! — 

How  humbly  for  justice  they  sue! 
A  kind  rogue  of  a  clerk  (for  like  master  like  man), 
Thus  seeks  to  console  him  as  well  as  he  can : 
"  Take  courage,  old  gentlemen,  dry  up  your  tears, 

For  princes  of  honour  and  conscience  are  made, 
ll  you  will  but  have  patience,  some  odd  fifty  years, 

Without  loss  or  deduction  you  all  will  be  paid." 

Note  by  the  Editor. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  107 

ment.  As  to  the  duchess,  I  know  her :  the  place  by  no  means 
suits  her  plain  and  quiet  habits,  nor  the  indolence  (if  I  may  use 
the  expression)  of  her  disposition.  If  she  yields  to  my  wish, 
then,  she  will  give  me  the  greatest  possible  proof  of  her  devo- 
tion to  me."  The  Queen  also  spoke  of  the  Princess  de  Chimay 
and  the  Duchess  de  Duras,  whom  the  public  pointed  out  as  fit 
to  fill  the  place  of  governess;  but  she  thought  the  Princess  de 
Chimay's  piety  too  rigid;  and  as  to  the  Duchess  de  Duras,  her 
wit  and  knowledge  quite  frightened  her.  What  the  Queen 
dreaded  as  the  consequence  of  her  selection  of  the  Duchess  de 
Polignac,  was,  principally,  the  jealousy  of  the  courtiers,  who 
would  never  fail  to  make  her  feel  the  mortifications  inseparable 
from  that  elevation.  The  Queen  showed  so  lively  a  desire  to 
see  the  execution  of  her  scheme,  that  I  had  no  doubt  she  would 
soon  set  at  nought  the  obstacles  she  discovered ;  I  was  not  mis- 
taken. A  few  days  afterwards,  the  duchess  was  invested  with 
the  office  of  governess. 

The  Queen's  object  in  sending  for  me  to  converse  about  her 
scheme,  was,  no  doubt,  to  furnish  me  with  the  means  of  explain- 
ing the  feelings  which  induced  her  to  prefer  a  governess  disposed 
by  friendship  to  suffer  her  to  enjoy  all  the  privileges  of  a 
mother.  Her  majesty  knew  that  I  saw  a  great  deal  of  company. 

The  Queen  frequently  dined  at  the  duchess's,  after  having 
been  present  at  the  King's  private  dinner.  Sixty-one  thousand 
francs  were  therefore  added  to  the  salary  of  the  latter  as  gover- 
ness, as  a  compensation  for  this  increase  of  expense. 

The  Queen  was  tired  of  the  excursions  to  Marly,  and  had  no 
great  difficulty  in  setting  the  King  against  them.  He  did  not 
like  the  expense  of  them,  for  everybody  was  entertained  there 
gratis. — Louis  XIV.,  established  a  kind  of  parade  upon  these 
excursions,  differing  from  that  of  Versailles,  but  still  more 
annoying. 

Card  and  supper  parties  occurred  perpetually  and  occasioned 
much  expense  in  dress. 

On  Sundays  and  holidays,  the  fountains  played,  the  peonies 


198  MEMOIRS  OF 

•were  admitted  into  the  gardens,  and  there  was  always  as  great  a 
crowd  as  at  the  fete  of  Saint  Cloud. 

Every  age  has  its  peculiar  complexion  and  that  very  decidedly. 
Marly  showed  the  colour  of  that  of  Louis  XIV.  even  more  than 
Versailles.  Everything  in  the  former  place  appeared  to  have 
been  produced  by  the  magic  power  of  a  fairy's  wand. 

The  palaces  and  gardens  of  that  seat  of  pleasure  might  be 
also  compared  to  the  scenic  decorations  of  the  fifth  act  of  an 
opera.  Not  the  slightest  trace  of  all  this  splendour  remains  :  the 
revolutionary  spoilers  even  tore  up  from  the  bosom  of  the  earth, 
the  pipes  which  served  to  supply  the  fountains. — Possibly  a  brief 
description  of  this  palace  and  the  usages  established  there  by 
Louis  XV.  may  be  acceptable. 

The  very  extensive  garden  of  Marly  rose,  by  an  imperceptible 
ascent,  up  to  the  pavilion  of  the  sun,  which  was  occupied  only 
by  the  King  and  his  family.  The  pavilions  of  the  twelve  zodia- 
cal signs  bounded  the  two  sides  of  the  lawn.  They  were  con- 
nected by  elegant  bowers  impervious  to  the  rays  of  the  sun. 
The  pavilions  nearest  to  that  of  the  sun,  were  reserved  for  the 
princes  of  the  blood  and  the  ministers,  the  rest  were  occupied 
by  persons  holding  superior  offices  at  court,  or  by  persons  invited 
to  stay  at  Marly.  Each  pavilion  was  named  after  fresco  paint- 
ings, which  covered  its  walls,  and  which  were  executed  by  the 
most  celebrated  artists  of  the  age  of  Louis  XIV.* 

Upon  a  line  with  the  upper  pavilion  there  was,  on  the  left, 
the  chapel ;  on  the  right  a  pavilion,  called  La  Perspective,  which 
concealed  a  long  suite  of  offices,  containing  a  hundred  lodging- 
rooms,  appropriated  to  the  persons  belonging  to  the  service  of 
the  court,  kitchens,  and  spacious  dining-rooms,  in  which  more 
than  thirty  tables  were  splendidly  laid  out. 

During  one  half  of  Louis  XV.'s  reign,  the  ladies  still  wore 
the  Marly  court  dress,  so  named  by  Louis  XIV.,  and  which 

*  Her  royal  highness  the  Duchess  de  Berry  has,  at  Jlosney,  a  paint- 
ing, which  exactly  represents  the  mansion,  pavilions,  and  gardens  of 
Marly.  This  resemblance  alone  is  now  sufficient  to  make  the  picture 
very  valuable. — Note  by  the  Editor, 


MARIE   ANTOINETTE.  199 

differed  but  little  from  that  devised  for  Versailles.  The  French 
gown,  puckered  in  the  back,  and  great  hoops,  succeeded  this 
dress,  and  maintained  their  ground  to  the  end  of  the  reign  of 
Louis  XVI. 

The  diamonds,  feathers,  rouge,  and  embroidered  stuffs,  span- 
gled with  gold,  banished  even  the  slightest  traces  of  rural 
character  from  this  spot;  but  the  people  loved  to  see  the  splen- 
dour of  their  sovereign  and  a  brilliant  court  glittering  in  the 
shades  of  the  woods. 

After  dinner,  and  before  the  hour  for  cards,  the  Queen, 
princesses,  and  their  ladies,  paraded  among  the  clumps  of  trees, 
in  little  carriages,  beneath  canopies  richly  embroidered  with 
gold,  rolled  forward  by  the  King's  livery  servants.  The  trees 
were  planted  by  Louis  XIV.,  and  were  of  prodigious  height, 
which,  however,  was  surpassed,  in  several  of  the  groups,  by 
fountains  of  the  clearest  water;  while  among  others,  cascades 
over  white  marble,  the  waters  of  which,  being  met  by  the  sun- 
beams, looked  like  draperies  of  silver  gauze,  formed  a  contrast 
to  the  solemn  darkness  of  the  groves. 

In  the  evening,  nothing  more  was  necessary  for  any  well- 
dressed  man,  to  procure  admission  to  the  Queen's  card-parties, 
than  to  be  named,  and  presented  by  some  officer  of  the  court, 
to  the  gentleman-usher  of  the  card-room.  This  room,  which 
was  very  large,  and  of  octagonal  shape,  rose  to  the  very  top  of 
the  Italian  roof,  and  terminated  in  a  cupola,  furnished  with 
balconies,  in  which  females  who  had  not  been  presented,  easily 
obtained  leave  to  place  themselves,  and  enjoy  the  sight  of  the 
brilliant  assemblage. 

Though  not  of  the  number  of  persons  belonging  to  the  court, 
gentlemen  admitted  into  this  saloon,  were  allowed  to  request 
one  of  the  ladies  seated  with  the  Queen,  at  lansquenet  or  faro, 
to  bet  upon  her  cards,  with  such  gold  or  notes  as  they  presented 
to  her. 

Rich  people,  and  the  deep  gamesters  of  Paris,  did  not  miss 
one  of  the  evenings  at  the  Marly  saloon,  and  there  were  always 
very  considerable  sums  won  and  lost. 

18* 


200  MEMOIRS  OF 

Louis  XVI.  hated  high  play,  and  very  often  showed  displea- 
sure, when  the  loss  of  large  sums  was  mentioned.*  The  fashion 
of  wearing  a  hlack  coat  without  being  in  mourning,  had  not 
then  been  introduced,  and  the  King  gave  a  few  raps  on  the 
knuckles  to  certain  Chevaliers  de  Saint  Louis,  dressed  in  this 
manner,  who  came  to  venture  two  or  three  Louis,  in  the  hope 
that  fortune  would  favour  the  handsome  duchesses,  who  deigned 
to  play  them  on  their  cards. f 

Singular  contrasts  are  often  seen  amidst  the  grandeur  of 
courts.  In  order  to  manage  such  high  play  at  the  Queen's  faro 
table,  it  -was  necessary  to  have  a  banker  provided  with  large 
sums  of  money,  and  this  necessity  placed  at  the  table,  to  which 
none  but  the  highest-titled  persons  were  admitted  in  general, 
not  only  M.  de  Chalabre,  who  was  the  banker,  but  also  a  mere 
retired  captain  of  foot ;  who  officiated  as  his  second.  A  low 
word,  appropriated  to  express  the  manner  in  which  the  court 
was  attended  there,  was  often  heard.  Gentlemen  presented  at 
court,  who  had  not  been  invited  to  stay  at  Marly,  came  there 

*  In  1790,  an  officer  of  the  national  guards,  was  walking  in  the 
apartments  of  he  Tuileries,  when  the  King,  having  observed  him,  asked 
him  if  he  could  play  at  back-gammon.  Upon  his  answering  in  the 
affirmative,  the  King  sat  down  with  him  to  play,  and  won  nine  francs 
of  him,  at  a  petit  ecu,  or  half  a  crown  a  game.  The  hour  for  attending 
the  council  being  come,  the  King  left  him,  promising  him  his  revenge 
another  time.  (Anecdotes  of  the  Kfifjn  of  Louis  XVI.  tome  1.) 

Note  by  the  Editor. 

f  Bachaumont,  in  his  Memoirs,  which  are  often  satirical  and  always 
somewhat  questionable,  speaks  of  the  singular  precautions  taken  at 
play  at  court 

"  The  bankers  at  the  Queen's  table,"  says  he,  "in  order  to  prevent 
the  mistakes  (I  soften  the  harshness  of  his  expression),  which  daily 
happen,  have  obtained  permission  from  her  majesty,  that  before  begin- 
ning to  play,  the  table  shall  be  bordered  by  a  ribbon  entirely  round  it, 
and  that  no  otner  money  than  that  upon  the  cards  beyond  the  ribbon, 
shall  be  considered  as  staked."  He  adds  several  other  particulars, 
which  denote  unaccountable  errors,  but  we  have  too  little  faith  in  their 
truth  to  repeat  them.  (Bachaumont's  Memoirs,  tome  12.) 

Note  by  the  Editor. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  201 

notwithstanding  as  they  did  to  Versailles,  and  returned  again  to 
Paris ;  under  such  circumstances,  it  was  said  such  an  one  had 
D^n  to  Marly  only  en  polisson  ;  and  nothing  appeared  to  me 
more  odd,  than  to  hear  an  agreeable  Marquis,  in  answer  to  the 
inquiry  of  one  of  his  inmates,  whether  he  was  of  the  royal 
party  at  Marly,  say,  "  No,  I  am  only  here  en  polisson  :"  meaning 
nothing  more  than,  "I  am  here  on  the  footing  of  all  those 
whose  nobility  is  of  a  later  date  than  1400."  What  powerful 
talents,  how  many  persons  of  merit,  who  were  unhappily  destined 
too  soon  to  attack  the  ancient  monarchy,  were  in  the  class  desig- 
nated by  the  word  polisson. 

The  Marly  excursions  were  exceedingly  expensive  to  the  King. 
Besides  the  superior  tables,  those  of  the  almoners,  equerries, 
maitres  d'hotel,  &c.  &c.,  were  all  supplied  with  such  a  degree  of 
magnificence,  as  to  allow  of  inviting  strangers  to  them ;  and 
almost  all  the  visitors  from  Paris  were  boarded  at  the  expense 
of  the  court. 

The  personal  frugality  of  the  unfortunate  prince,  who  sunk 
beneath  the  weight  of  the  national  debts,  thus  enabled  the  Queen 
to  indulge  her  predilection  for  her  Petit  Trianon ;  and  for  five  or 
six  years  preceding  the  revolution,  the  court  very  seldom  visited 
Marly. 

The  King,  always  attentive  to  the  comfort  of  his  family,  gave 
the  princesses,  his  aunts,  the  enjoyment  of  the  chateau  of  Belle- 
vue,  and  afterwards  purchased  the  Princess  de  Guemenee's  house, 
at  the  entrance  to  Paris,  for  Madame  Elizabeth.*  The  Countess 
de  Provence  bought  a  small  house  at  Montreuil '}  Monsieur 
already  had  Brunoy ;  the  Countess  d' Artois  built  Bagatelle ; 
Versailles  became,  in  the  estimation  of  all  the  members  of  the 
royal  family,  the  least  agreeable  of  residences.  They  only  fan- 
cied themselves  at  home,  in  plainer  houses,  surrounded  by  English 
gardens.  The  taste  for  cascades  and  statues  was  entirely  past. 

*  Madame  Elizabeth  enjoyed  this  house  for  several  years ;  but  the 
King  arranged  that  she  should  not  sleep  there,  until  she  was  twenty-five 
years  of  age.  The  revolution  broke  out  before  that  time. 

Note  by  Madame  Campan. 


202  MEMOIRS  OF 

The  Queen  occasionally  remained  a  whole  month  at  Petit 
Trianon,  and  had  adopted  all  the  ways  of  a  country  life.  She 
entered  the  sitting-room  without  driving  the  ladies  from  their 
pianoforte,  or  embroidery.  The  gentlemen  continued  their  bil- 
liards or  backgammon,  without  suffering  her  presence  to  inter- 
rupt them.  There  was  but  little  room  in  the  small  chateau  of 
Trianon.  Madame  Elizabeth  accompanied  the  Queen  there,  but 
the  ladies  of  honour,  and  ladies  of  the  bedchamber,  had  no  esta- 
blishment at  Trianon.  When  invited  by  the  Queen,  they  came 
from  Versailles  to  dinner.  The  King  and  princes  came  regu- 
larly to  sup.  A  white  gown,  a  gauze  kerchief,  and  a  straw  hat, 
were  the  uniform  dress  of  the  princesses.*  The  pleasure  of 
examining  all  the  manufactories  of  the  hamlet,  seeing  the  cows 
milked,  and  fishing  in  the  lake,  delighted  the  Queen ;  and  every 
year  she  showed  increased  aversion  to  the  pompous  excursions 
to  Marly. 

The  Queen  at  first  intended  to  live  at  Trianon,  free  from 
the  trouble  and  display  of  all  artificial  amusements;  but  she 
changed  her  mind,  and  determined  to  act  plays  as  it  was  then 
the  fashion  to  do  in  most  country  houses.  It  was  agreed  that  no 
other  young  man  than  the  Count  d'Artois  should  be  admitted 
into  the  company  of  performers,  and  that  the  audience  should 
consist  only  of  the  King,  Monsieur,  and  the  princesses,  who  did 
not  play ;  but  in  order  to  stimulate  the  actors  a  little,  the  first 
boxes  were  to  be  occupied  by  the  readers,  the  Queen's  ladies, 
their  sisters,  and  daughters,  making  altogether  about  forty 
persons. 

The  Queen  laughed  heartily  at  the  voice  of  M.  d'Adhemar, 
formerly  a  very  fine  one,  but  latterly  become  rather  tremulous. 
His  shepherd's  dress,  in  Colin,  in  the  Devin  de  Village,  con- 
trasted very  ridiculously  with  his  time  of  life,  and  the  Queen 
repeatedly  said  it  would  be  difficult  for  malevolence  itself  to  find 

*  The  historian  of  Marie  Antoinette  adds  further  points  to  this  picture, 
and  makes  some  judicious  reflection,  on  the  influence  of  a  change  of 
costume  upon  manners.  See  the  Historical  Illustrations,  letter  (R), 
the  whole  of  which  is  by  an  intelligent  observer. — Note  by  the  Editor. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  203 

anything  to  criticise  in  the  choice  of  such  a  lover.  The  King 
was  highly  amused  with  these  plays. 

Louis  XVI.  was  present  at  every  performance ;  he  was  often 
waited  for  before  they  were  begun.  Caillot,  a  celebrated  actor, 
who  had  long  quitted  the  stage,  and  Dazincourt,  both  of  ac- 
knowledged good  character,  were  selected  to  give  lessons,  the 
fir&t  in  comic  opera,  which  was  preferred  as  easiest,  and  the 
second  in  comedy.  The  office  of  hearer  of  rehearsals,  prompter, 
and  stage  manager,  was  given  to  my  father-in-law.  The  Duke 
de  Fronsac,  first  gentleman  of  the  chamber,  was  much  hurt  at 
this  appointment.  He  thought  himself  called  upon  to  make 
serious  remonstrances  upon  the  subject,  and  wrote  to  the  Queen, 
who  contented  herself  with  making  him  the  following  answer : 
"  You  cannot  be  first  gentleman,  when  we  are  the  actors.  Be- 
sides, I  have  already  intimated  to  you  my  determination  respect- 
ing Trianon.  I  hold  no  court  there,  I  live  like  a  private 
person,  and  M.  Campan  shall  be  always  employed  to  execute 
orders  relative  to  the  private  fetes  I  choose  to  give  there."  This 
not  putting  a  stop  to  the  duke's  remonstrances,  the  King  was 
obliged  to  interfere.  The  duke  continued  obstinate,  and  insisted 
that  his  rights,  as  first  gentleman  of  the  chamber,  allowed  him 
to  decline  being  represented  by  any  deputy ;  that  he  was  enti- 
tled to  manage  the  private  amusements,  as  much  as  those  which 
were  public.  It  became  absolutely  necessary  to  end  the  argu- 
ment in  a  positive  manner. 

The  diminutive  Duke  de  Fronsac  never  failed,  whenever  he 
came  to  pay  his  respects  to  the  Queen  at  her  toilet,  to  turn  the 
conversation  upon  Trianon,  in  order  to  make  some  ironical 
remarks  on  my  father-in-law,  of  whom,  from  the  time  of  his 
appointment,  he  always  spoke  as  "  my  colleague  Campan."  The 
Queen  would  shrug  up  her  shoulders,  and  say,  when  he  was 
gone,  "It  is  quite  shocking  to  find  so  little  a  man  in  the  son  of 
the  Marshal  de  Richelieu." 

La  Gageure  imprcvue  was  one  of  the  pieces  performed  at 
Trianon.  The  Queen  played  Gotte^  the  Countess  Diana,  Ma- 
dame de  Clainville ;  Madame  Elizabeth,  the  young  woman ,  and 


204  MEMOIRS  OF 

the  Count  d'Artois  one  of  the  men's  characters.  Colette  in  tho 
Devin  de  Village,  was  really  very  well  played  by  the  Queen. 
They  performed  also,  in  the  course  of  the  following  seasons,  Le 
Roi  et  le  Fermier ;  Rose  et  Colas;  le  Sorcier;  T  Anglais  a  Bour- 
deaux;  On  ne  s1  avise  jamais  de  tout}  le  Barrier  de  Seville,  &c.* 

So  long  as  no  strangers  were  admitted  to  these  performances, 
th^y  were  but  little  censured ;  but  a  profusion  of  praise  enhanced 
the  idea  which  the  performers  entertained  of  their  talents,  and 
made  them  look  for  a  larger  circle  of  admirers. 

The  Queen  permitted  the  officers  of  the  body  guards,  and  the 
equerries  of  the  King  and  princes,  to  be  present  at  the  play. 
Private  boxes  were  provided  for  some  of  the  people  belonging  to 
the  court ;  a  few  more  ladies  were  invited ;  and  claims  arose  on 
all  sides  for  the  favour  of  admission. 

*  These  performances,  in  which  Marie  Antoinette  delighted  in  taking 
a  part,  have  been  repeatedly  censured.  Montjoie  himself,  as  may  be 
seen  in  the  Historical  Illustrations  (S),  reproaches  the  Queen  almost 
•with  severity,  and  makes  observations,  which  appear  to  us  not  to  be 
quite  correct.  "Formerly,"  says  he,  "any  private  gentleman  would 
have  been  disgraced,  upon  its  being  known  that  he  had  turned  actor, 
even  in  a  family  party."  We  will  not  decide  whether  it  would  have 
been  more  disgraceful  in  a  private  gentleman  to  act  in  a  play,  or,  for 
instance,  like  the  Count  de  Grammont,  to  back  with  a  detachment  of 
cavalry  a  game  of  piquet,  in  which  art  had  corrected  fortune  ;  but  we 
will  observe,  that  in  1701,  J.  B.  Rousseau's  Magic  Girdle  was  played 
by  the  princes  of  the  blood  before  the  Duchess  of  Burgundy.  (Memoirs 
for  the  history  of  Voltaire,  Amsterdam,  1785)  Voltaire  gives  still  more 
minute  particulars  of  these  performances,  in  which  private  gentlemen 
would  no  doubt  have  been  induced  to  figure.  "  There  was,"  says  he, 
(tome  21,  p.  157)  "a  small  theatre  erected  in  the  apartments  of  Madame 
de  Maintenon.  The  Duchess  of  Burgundy,  and  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  with 
such  persons  of  the  court  as  were  most  conspicuous  for  talent,  performed 
there.  The  eminent  actor  Baron,  instructed  them  and  played  with 
them.  The  majority  of  Duchy's  tragedies  were  composed  for  this  thea- 
tre." We  shall  add  but  one  word  to  these  positive  facts,  which  is, 
that  the  young  and  lovely  Marie  Antoinette  might  well  see  nothing 
wrong  in  an  amusement  tolerated  by  Madame  de  Maintenon,  in  the 
p-ur,  hypocritical  and  bigoted  court,  of  the  latter  years  of  Louis  XIV. 

Note  by  the  Editor. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  205 

The  Queen  refused  to  admit  the  officers  of  the  body  guards 
of  the  princes,  the  officers  of  the  King's  hundred  Swiss  guards, 
and  many  other  persons  who  were  highly  mortified  at  the  re- 
fusal. 

The  company,  for  a  private  company,  was  good  enough ;  and 
the  acting  was  applauded  to  the  skies;  nevertheless,  as  the 
audience  withdrew,  criticisms  were  plainly  heard,  and  a  few  of 
the  visitors  would  observe,  that  the  piece  was  royally  ill  played. 

While  delight  at  having  given  an  heir  to  the  throne  of  the 
Bourbons,  and  a  succession  of  fetes  and  amusements,  filled  up 
the  happy  days  of  Marie  Antoinette,  the  community  was  solely 
engrossed  with  the  Anglo-American  war.  Two  kings,  or  rather 
their  ministers,  planted  and  propagated  the  love  of  liberty  in  the 
new  world ;  the  King  of  England,  by  shutting  his  ears  and  his 
heart  against  the  continued  and  respectful  representations  of 
subjects  at  a  distance  from  their  native  land,  who  had  become 
numerous,  rich,  and  powerful,  through  the  resources  of  the  soil 
they  had  fertilized  ;  and  the  King  of  France,  by  giving  support 
to  a  people  in  rebellion  against  their  ancient  sovereign.  Many 
young  soldiers,  belonging  to  the  first  families  of  the  country, 
followed  La  Fayette's  example,  and  broke  through  all  the  illu- 
sions of  grandeur,  and  all  the  charms  of  luxury,  of  amusements, 
and  of  love,  to  go  and  tender  their  courage  and  their  information 
to  the  revolted  Americans.  Beaumarchais,  secretly  seconded  by 
Messieurs  de  Maurepas  and  de  Vcrgennes,  obtained  permission 
to  send  out  to  the  Americans  supplies  of  arms  and  clothing. 
Franklin  appeared  at  court  in  the  dress  of  an  American  culti- 
vator. His  strait  unpowdered  hair,  his  round  hat,  his  brown 
cloth  coat,  formed  a  contrast  with  the  laced  and  embroidered 
coats,  and  the  powdered  and  perfumed  heads  of  the  courtiers  of 
Versailles.  This  novelty  turned  the  enthusiastic  heads  of  the 
French  women.  Elegant  entertainments  were  given  to  Doctor 
Franklin,  who,  to  the  reputation  of  a  most  skilful  naturalist, 
added  the  patriotic  virtues  which  had  invested  him  with  the 
noble  character  of  an  apostle  of  liberty.  I  was  present  at  one 
of  these  entertainments,  when  the  most  beautiful  woman  out  of 


206  MEMOIRS  OF 

three  hundred,  was  selected  to  place  a  crown  of  laurels  upon  the 
white  head  of  the  American  philosopher,  and  two  kisses  upon 
his  cheeks.*  Even  in  the  palace  of  Versailles,  Franklin's  me- 
dallion was  sold  under  the  King's  eyes,  in  the  exhibition  of 
Sevres  procelain.  The  legend  of  this  medallion  was : 

Eripuit  ccelo  fulmen,  sceptrumque  tyrannis. 

The  King  never  declared  his  opinion  upon  an  enthusiasm 
which  his  correct  judgment,  no  doubt,  led  him  to  blame :  how- 
ever, the  Countess  Diana  having,  to  keep  up  to  her  character  as 
a  woman  of  superior  talent,  entered  with  considerable  warmth 
into  the  idolatry  of  the  American  delegate,  a  jest  was  played 
off  upon  her,  which  was  kept  secret  enough,  and  may  give  us 
some  idea  of  the  private  sentiments  of  Louis  XVI.  He  had  a 
vase  de  nuit  made  at  the  Sevres  manufactory,  at  the  bottom  of 
which  was  the  medallion  with  its  fashionable  legend,  and  he 
sent  the  utensil  to  the  Countess  Diana,  as  a  new  year's  gift. 
The  Queen  spoke  out  more  plainly  about  the  part  France  was 
taking  respecting  the  independence  of  the  American  colonies, 
and  constantly  opposed  it.  Far  was  she  from  foreseeing  that  a 
revolution  at  such  a  distance,  could  excite  one  in  which  the  day 
would  come,  when  a  misguided  populace  would  drag  her  from 
her  palace  to  a  death  equally  unjust  and  cruel.  She  only  saw 
something  ungenerous  in  the  method  which  France  adopted, 
of  checking  the  power  of  England. 

*  Benjamin  Franklin  spent  the  earlier  part  of  his  life  in  the  labour 
of  the  printing  house.  When  the  news  of  his  death  arrived  in  Paris,  in 
1790,  a  society  of  printers  met  in  an  apartment  of  the  Cordeliers  convent, 
to  celebrate  a  funeral  festival  in  honour  of  the  American  philosopher.  His 
bust  -was  elevated  upon  a  column  in  the  middle  of  the  room.  Upon  the 
head  was  placed  a  civic  crown ;  below  the  bust  were  compositor's  cases,  a 
press,  and  other  emblems  of  the  art,  which  the  sage  had  cultivated. 
While  one  printer  was  pronouncing  an  eulogium  upon  Franklin,  work- 
men were  printing  it,  and  the  speech,  composed  and  pulled  off  as  fast  as 
uttered,  was  copiously  distributed  among  the  spectators  brought  together 
by  this  entertainment.  The  Historical  Illustrations  contain  some  par- 
ticulars respecting  Benjamin  Franklin,  letter  (T). — Nole  by  the  Editor. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  207 

However,  as  Queen  of  France,  she  enjoyed  the  sight  of  a 
whole  people  rendering  homage  to  the  prudence,  courage,  and 
good  qualities  of  a  young  Frenchman ;  and  she  shared  the 
enthusiasm  inspired  by  the  conduct  and  military  success  of  the 
Marquis  de  la  Fayette.  The  Queen  granted  him  several 
audiences  on  his  first  return  from  America,  and,  until  the  10th 
of  August,  on  which  day  my  house  was  plundered,  I  had  pre- 
served some  lines  from  Gaston  and  Bayard,  in  which  the  friends 
of  M.  de  la  Fayette  saw  the  exact  outline  of  his  character, 
written  by  her  own  hand  : — 


-why  talk  of  youth, 


When  all  the  ripe  experience  of  the  old 

Dwells  with  him  ?  In  his  schemes  profound  and  cool, 

He  acts  with  wise  precaution,  and  reserves 

For  times  of  action  his  impetuous  fire. 

To  guard  the  camp,  to  scale  the  leaguer'd  wall, 

Or  dare  the  hottest  of  the  fight,  are  toils 

That  suit  the  impetuous  bearing  of  his  youth ; 

Yet  like  the  gray-haired  veteran,  he  can  shun 

The  field  of  peril.     Still  before  my  eyes 

I  place  his  bright  example,  for  I  love 

His  lofty  courage,  and  his  prudent  thought. 

Gifted  like  him  a  warrior  has  no  age.* 

*  "During  the  American  war,  a  general  officer  in  the  service  of  the 
United  States^  advanced  with  a  score  of  men  under  the  English  batte- 
ries to  reconnoitre  their  position.  His  aide-de-camp,  struck  by  a  ball, 
fell  at  his  side ;  the  officers  and  orderly  dragoons  fled  precipitately. 
The  general,  though  under  the  fire  of  the  cannon,  approached  the 
wounded  man  to  see  whether  he  had  any  signs  of  life  remaining,  or 
whether  any  help  could  be  afforded  him.  Finding  the  wound  had  been 
mortal,  he  turned  his  eyes  away  with  emotion,  and  slowly  rejoined  the 
group  which  had  got  out  of  the  reach  of  the  pieces.  This  instance  of 
courage  and  humanity  took  place  at  the  battle  of  Monmouth.  General 
Clinton,  who  commanded  the  English  troops,  knew  that  the  Marquis  de 
la  Fayette  generally  rode  a  white  horse  ;  it  was  upon  a  white  horse  that 
the  general  officer  who  retired  so  slowly,  was  mounted :  Clinton  desired 
the  gunners  not  to  fire.  This  noble  forbearance  probably  saved  M.  de 
la  Fayettc's  life,  for  it  was  he  himself.  At  that  time  he  was  but  twenty- 
two  years  of  age."  Historical  Anecdotes  of  the  Reign  of  Louis  XVI. 

VOL.  I. — 19  Not*  by  the  Editoi 


208  MEMOIRS   OF 

These  lines  were  applauded  and  encored  at  the  French  theatre  : 
all  was  delirium.  There  was  no  class  of  persons  that  did  not 
heartily  approve  of  the  support  given  openly  by  the  French 
government  to  the  cause  of  American  independence.  The  con- 
stitution desired  for  the  new  nation  was  digested  at  Paris,  and 
while  liberty,  equality,  and  the  rights  of  man,  were  commented 
upon  by  the  Condorcets,  Baillys,  Mirabeaus,  &c.,  the  minister 
Segur  published  the  King's  edict,  which  by  repealing  that  of 
1st  November,  1750,  declared  all  officers  not  noble  by  four 
generations,  incapable  of  filling  the  rank  of  captain,  and  denied 
all  military  rank  to  those  who  were  not  gentlemen,  excepting 
sons  of  the  Chevaliers  de  Saint  Louis.*  The  injustice  and 
absurdity  of  this  law,  was,  no  doubt,  a  secondary  cause  of  the 
revolution.  To  be  aware  of  the  extent  of  despair,  nay  of  rage, 
with  which  this  law  inspired  the  third  estate,  we  should  form 
part  of  that  honourable  class.  The  provinces  were  full  of  ple- 
beian families,  who,  for  ages,  had  lived  as  people  of  property 
upon  their  own  domains,  and  paid  the  subsidies.  If  these 
persons  had  several  sons,  they  would  place  one  in  the  King's 
service,  one  in  the  church,  another  in  the  order  of  Malta,  as  a 
chevalier  servant  d'armcs,  and  one  in  the  magistracy,  while  the 
eldest  preserved  the  paternal  manor.  If  the  family  were  situated 
in  a  country  celebrated  for  wine,  they  would,  besides  selling 
their  own  produce,  add  a  kind  of  commission  trade  in  the  wines 
of  the  canton.  I  have  seen  an  individual  of  this  justly  re- 
spected class,  who  had  been  long  employed  in  diplomatic 
business,  and  even  honoured  with  the  title  of  minister  plenipo- 
tentiary, the  son-in-law  and  nephew  of  colonels^  and  majors  de 

*  We  read  the  following  anecdote  upon  this  subject,  by  Chamfort. 
He  tells  it  with  his  usual  caustic  feeling.  "  M.  de  Segur  having  pub- 
lished an  ordinance  which  prohibited  the  admission  of  any  other  than 
gentlemen  into  the  artillery  corps,  and  on  the  other  hand,  none  but  well 
educated  persons  being  proper  for  admission,  a  curious  scene  took  place : 
the  Abb6  Bossat,  examiner  of  the  pupils,  gave  certificates  only  to  ple- 
beians, while  Cherin  gave  them  only  to  gentlemen.  Out  of  one  hundred 
pupils,  there  were  not  above  four  or  five  who  were  qualified  in  both 
respects." — Note  by  the  Editor. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  209 

place,  and,  on  his  mother's  side,  nephew  of  a  lieutenant-general 
with  a  cordon  rouge,  unable  to  introduce  his  sons  as  junior  lieu- 
tenants into  a  regiment  of  foot. 

Another  decision  of  the  court,  but  which  could  not  be  an- 
nounced by  an  edict,  was  that  all  ecclesiastical  benefices,  from 
the  humblest  priory  up  to  the  richest  abbey,  should  in  future  be 
appendages  to  nobility.  Being  the  son  of  a  village  surgeon,  the 
Abbe"  de  Vermond,  who  had  great  influence  in  the  disposition  of 
benefices,  was  particularly  struck  with  the  justice  of  this  decree 
of  the  King. 

During  the  absence  of  the  abbe"  in  an  excursion  he  made  for 
his  health,  I  prevailed  on  the  Queen  to  write  a  postcript  to  the 
petition  of  a  curate,  one  of  my  friends,  who  was  soliciting  a 
priory  near  his  curacy,  with  the  intention  of  retiring  to  it.  I 
obtained  him  his  object.  On  the  abba's  return,  he  heard  of 
this,  came  to  my  house  and  told  me  very  harshly,  that  I  acted 
in  a  manner  quite  contrary  to  the  King's  wishes,  in  obtaining 
similar  favours  ;  that  the  wealth  of  the  church  was  for  the  future 
to  be  invariably  devoted  to  the  support  of  the  poorer  nobility ; 
that  it  was  the  interest  of  the  state  that  it  should  be  so ;  and  a 
plebeian  priest,  happy  in  a  good  curacy,  had  only  to  remain 
curate. 

Can  we  then  wonder  at  the  line  of  conduct  shortly  afterwards 
adopted  by  the  deputies  of  the  third  estate,  when  called  to  the 
states  general  ? 


210  MEMOIRS  OF 


CHAPTER  X. 

Visit  of  the  Grand  Duke  of  Russia  and  his  Duchess  to  France — Enter- 
tainment and  supper  at  Trianon — Cardinal  de  Rohan — Cold  reception 
given  to  Count  d'Haga  (Gustavus  III.  King  of  Sweden) — Peace  with 
England  —  The  English  flock  into  France  —  Conduct  to  be  observed 
at  Court — Mission  of  the  Chevalier  de  Bressac  to  the  Queen — Court 
of  Naples — Queen  Caroline,  the  Minister  Acton — Debates  between  the 
Courts  of  Naples  and  Madrid — Insolent  reply  of  the  Spanish  Ambas- 
sador to  Queen  Caroline — Interference  of  France — M.  M.  de  Segur 
and  de  Castries  appointed  Ministers  through  the  Queen's  influence — • 
Treachery  of  M.  de  Maurepas  towards  M.  Necker  —  Appointment  of 
M.  de  Calonne — Judicious  Reflections  of  Marie  Antoinette. 

ABOUT  the  close  of  the  last  century,  several  of  the  northern 
sovereigns  took  pleasure  in  travelling. — Christian  III.,  King  of 
Denmark,  visited  the  court  of  France  in  1763,  under  the  reign 
of  Louis  XV.  We  saw  the  King  of  Sweden  and  Joseph  II.,  at 
Versailles.  The  Grand  Duke  of  Russia,  son  of  Catherine  II., 
(afterwards  Paul  I.)  and  the  Princess  of  Wirtemberg,  his  wife, 
likewise  resolved  to  visit  France.  They  travelled  under  the 
titles  of  the  Count  and  Countess  du  Nord.  They  were  presented 
on  the  20th  of  May,  1782.  The  Queen  received  them  with  in- 
finite grace  and  dignity.  On  the  day  of  their  arrival  at  Ver- 
sailles, they  dined  in  private  with  the  King  and  Queen. 

The  plain,  unassuming  appearance  of  Paul  I.,  pleased  Louis 
XVI.  He  spoke  to  him  with  more  confidence  and  cheerfulness, 
than  he  had  done  to  Joseph  II.  The  Countess  du  Nord  was 
not  at  first  so  successful  with  the  Queen.  This  lady  was  of  a 
fine  height,  very  fat  for  her  age,  with  all  the  stiffness  of  the 
German  demeanour,  well  informed,  and  perhaps  displayed  her 
acquirements  with  rather  too  much  confidence.  At  the  moment 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  211 

the  Count  and  Countess  du  Nord  were  presented,  the  Queen  was 
exceedingly  intimidated.  She  withdrew  into  her  closet  before 

O   »/ 

she  went  into  the  room  where  she  was  to  dine  with  the  illus- 
trious travellers,  and  asked  for  a  glass  of  water,  confessing,  "she 
had  just  experienced  how  much  more  difficult  it  was  to  play  the 
part  of  a  Queen  in  the  presence  of  other  sovereigns,  or  of  princes 
born  to  become  so,  than  before  courtiers." 

She  soon  recovered  from  her  first  confusion,  and  made  her 
reappearance  with  ease  and  confidence.  The  dinner  was  tolera- 
bly cheerful,  and  the  conversation  very  animated. 

Brilliant  entertainments  were  given  at  court  in  honour  of  the 
King  of  Sweden  and  the  Count  du  Nord.  They  were  received 
in  private  by  the  King  and  Queen ;  but  they  were  treated  with 
much  more  ceremony  than  the  Emperor,  and  their  majesties 
always  appeared  to  me  to  be  very  cautious  before  these  person- 
ages. However,  the  King  one  day  asked  the  Grand  Duke  of 
Russia,  if  it  were  true  that  he  could  not  rely  on  the  fidelity  of 
any  one  of  those  who  accompanied  him.  The  prince  answered 
him  without  hesitation,  and  before  a  considerable  number  of 
persons,  that  he  should  be  very  sorry  to  have  with  him  even  a 
poodle  dog  that  was  much  attached  to  him,  because  his  mother 
would  take  care  to  have  it  thrown  into  the  Seine,  with  a  stone 
round  its  neck,  before  he  should  leave  Paris.  This  reply,  which 
I  myself  heard,  quite  thrilled  me  with  horror,  whether  it  de- 
picted the  disposition  of  Catherine,  or  expressed  the  prince's 
prejudice  against  her. 

The  Queen  gave  the  grand  duke  a  supper  at  Trianon,  and  had 
the  gardens  illuminated,  as  they  had  been  for  the  Emperor. 
The  Cardinal  de  Rohan  very  indiscreetly  ventured  to  introduce 
himself  there,  without  the  Queen's  knowledge.  Having  always 
been  treated  with  the  utmost  coolness  ever  since  his  return  from 
Vienna,  he  had  not  dared  to  ask  her  himself  for  permission  to 
see  the  illumination  ;  but  he  persuaded  the  porter  of  Trianon  to 
admit  him  as  soon  as  the  Queen  should  have  set  off  for  Ver- 
sailles, and  his  eminence  engaged  to  remain  in  the  porter's  lodge 
until  all  the  carriages  should  have  left  the  chateau.  He  did  not 

19* 


212  MEMOIRS   OF 

keep  his  word,  and  while  the  porter  was  busy  in  the  discharge 
of  his  duty,  the  cardinal,  who  had  kept  on  his  red  stockings,  and 
merely  thrown  a  great  coat  over  him,  went  down  into  the  gar- 
den, and  with  an  air  of  mystery,  drew  up  in  two  different  places 
to  see  the  royal  family  and  suite  pass  by. 

Her  majesty  was  highly  offended  at  this  piece  of  boldness, 
and  the  next  day  ordered  the  porter  to  be  discharged.  There 
was  a  general  feeling  of  disgust  at  the  cardinal's  treachery  to 
the  unfortunate  man,  and  of  commiseration  towards  the  latter 
for  the  loss  of  his  place.  Affected  at  the  misfortune  of  the 
father  of  a  family,  I  obtained  his  forgiveness;  and  since  that 
time  I  have  often  regretted  the  feeling  of  the  moment  which 
induced  me  to  interfere.  The  notoriety  of  the  discharge  of  the 
porter  of  Trianon,  and  the  odium  that  circumstance  would 
have  fixed  upon  the  cardinal,  would  have  made  the  Queen's 
dislike  to  him  still  more  publicly  known ;  and  would  probably 
have  prevented  the  scandalous  and  too  famous  intrigue  of  the 
necklace. — But  for  the  artful  manner  in  which  the  cardinal 
introduced  himself  into  the  gardens  of  Trianon — but  for  the  air 
of  mystery  which  he  affected  whenever  the  Queen  met  him 
there,  he  would  not  have  been  able  to  say  that  he  had  been 
deceived  by  any  emissary  between  the  Queen  and  himself. 

The  Queen,  who  was  much  prejudiced  against  the  King  of 
Sweden,  received  him  very  coldly.*  All  that  was  said  of  the 
private  character  of  that  sovereign,  his  connection  with  the 
Count  de  Vergennes,  from  the  time  of  the  revolution  of  Sweden, 
in  1772,  the  character  of  his  favourite  Armsfeld,  and  the  pre- 
judices of  the  monarch  himself  against  the  Swedes,  who  were 
well  received  at  the  court  of  Versailles,  formed  the  grounds  of 
this  dislike.  He  came  one  day  uninvited  and  unexpected,  and 
requested  to  dine  with  the  Queen.  The  Queen  received  him  in 

*  Gustavus  the  Third,  King  of  Sweden,  travelled  in  France  under 
the  title  of  Count  d'Haga.  Upon  his  accession  to  the  throne,  he  ma- 
naged the  revolution,  which  prostrated  the  authority  of  the  senate,  with 
equal  skill,  coolness,  and  courage.  He  was  assassinated  in  1792,  at  a 
masked  ball,  by  Ankerstroera. — Note  by  the  Editor. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  213 

the  little  closet,  and  sent  for  me  immediately.  She  desired  me 
to  send  for  her  clerk  of  the  kitchen,  that  she  might  be  in- 
formed whether  there  was  a  proper  dinner  to  set  before  Count 
d'Haga,  and  to  add  to  it  if  necessary.  The  King  of  Sweden 
assured  her  that  there  would  be  enough  for  him ;  and  I  could 
not  help  smiling  at  the  idea  of  augmenting  the  dinner  provided 
for  the  King  and  Queen,  not  even  half  of  which  would  have 
made  its  appearance  had  they  dined  in  private.  The  Queen 
looked  significantly  and  seriously  at  me,  and  I  withdrew.  In 
the  evening  she  asked  me  why  I  had  looked  so  astonished,  when 
she  ordered  me  to  add  to  her  dinner;  saying  that  I  ought 
instantly  to  have  seen,  that  she  was  giving  the  King  of  Sweden 
a  lesson  for  his  presumption.  I  owned  to  her  that  the  scene 
had  appeared  to  me  so  much  in  the  city  style,  that  I  had  invo- 
luntarily thought  of  the  cutlets  on  the  gridiron,  and  the  omelette, 
which,  in  families  in  middling  circumstances,  serve  to  piece  out 
short  commons.  She  was  highly  diverted  with  my  answer,  and 
repeated  it  to  the  King,  who  also  laughed  heartily  at  it. 

The  peace  with  England  gave  great  satisfaction  to  all  classes 
of  society,  interested  in  the  national  honour.  The  departure  of 
the  English  commissary  from  Dunkirk,  who  had  been  fixed  at 
that  place  ever  since  the  shameful  peace  of  1763,  as  inspector 
of  our  navy,  occasioned  an  ecstasy  of  joy.  The  government 
prudently  communicated  to  the  Englishman  the  order  for  his 
departure,  before  the  treaty  was  made  public.  But  for  that  pre- 
caution the  populace  would  have  probably  committed  some  excess 
or  other,  in  order  to  make  the  agent  of  English  power  feel  the 
effects  of  the  resentment  which  was  constantly  increasing  during 
his  stay  at  that  port.  Those  engaged  in  trade,  were  the  only 
persons  dissatisfied  with  the  treaty  of  1783.  That  article  which 
provided  for  the  free  admission  of  English  goods,  annihilated  at 
one  blow  the  trade  of  Rouen,  and  the  other  manufacturing  towns 
throughout  the  kingdom.  French  industry  has  since  removed 
that  superiority  which  secured  to  England  the  exclusive  trade 
of  the  whole  world.  The  English  poured  into  Paris.  A  con- 
siderable number  of  them  were  presented  at  court.  The  Queen 


214  MEMOIRS  OF 

paid  them  a  marked  attention ;  doubtless  she  wished  them  to 
distinguish  between  the  esteem  she  had  for  their  noble  nation, 
and  the  political  views  of  the  government,  in  the  support  it  had 
afforded  to  the  Americans.  Discontent  was,  however,  strongly 
manifested  at  court,  in  consequence  of  the  marks  of  favour 
bestowed  by  the  Queen  upon  the  English  noblemen;  these 
attentions  were  called  infatuations.  This  was  illiberal ;  and  the 
Queen  justly  complained  of  such  absurd  jealousy. 

The  journey  to  Fontainebleau,  and  the  winter  at  Paris  and  at 
court,  were  extremely  brilliant.  The  spring  brought  back  with 
it  those  amusements  which  the  Queen  began  to  prefer  to  the 
splendour  of  fetes.  The  most  perfect  harmony  subsisted  be- 
tween the  King  and  Queen ;  I  never  saw  but  one  difference  be- 
tween the  august  couple.  It  was  soon  dispelled;  the  cause  of  it 
is  still  perfectly  unknown  to  me. 

My  father-in-law,  whose  penetration  and  experience  I  re- 
spected greatly,  recommended  me,  when  he  saw  me  placed  in  the 
service  of  a  young  Queen,  to  shun  all  kinds  of  confidence.  "  It 
procures,"  said  he,  "  but  a  very  fleeting,  and  at  the  same  time 
dangerous  sort  of  favour :  serve  with  zeal,  to  the  best  of  your 
judgment,  and  never  do  more  than  obey.  Instead  of  setting 
your  wits  to  work,  to  discover  why  an  order,  or  a  commission 
which  may  appear  of  consequence,  are  given  to  you,  use  them 
to  prevent  the  possibility  of  your  knowing  anything  of  the 
matter."  I  had  occasion  to  avail  myself  of  this  wise  and  useful 
lesson.  One  morning  at  Trianon,  I  went  into  the  Queen's 
chamber  when  she  was  in  bed ;  there  were  letters  lying  upon 
the  bed,  and  she  was  weeping  bitterly.  Her  tears  were  mingled 
with  sobs,  which  she  occasionally  interrupted  by  exclamations 
of,  "Ah!  that  I  were  dead! — wretches!  monsters! — What 
have  I  done  to  them  ?" — I  offered  her  orange  flower  water  and 
ether — "  Leave  me,"  said  she,  "  if  you  love  me :  it  would  be 
better  to  kill  me  at  once."  At  this  moment  she  threw  her  arm 
over  my  shoulder  and  began  weeping  afresh.  I  saw  that  some 
weighty,  but  concealed  trouble  oppressed  her  heart,  that  she 
wanted  a  confidante,  and  that  that  confidante  ought  to  be  no 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  215 

other  than  her  friend.  I  told  her  so,  and  suggested  sending  for 
the  Duchess  de  Polignac  :  this  she  strongly  opposed.  1  renewed 
my  arguments  and  solicitations,  to  procure  her  the  consolation 
of  a  disclosure  of  which  she  stood  in  need,  and  her  opposition 
grew  weaker.  I  disengaged  myself  from  her  arms,  and  ran  to 
the  antechamber,  where  I  knew  that  a  horseman  always  waited, 
ready  to  mount,  and  start  at  a  moment's  warning  for  Versailles. 
I  ordered  him  to  go  full  speed,  and  tell  the  Duchess  de  Polignac, 
that  the  Queen  was  very  uneasy,  and  desired  to  see  her  instantly. 
The  duchess  always  had  a  carriage  ready.  In  less  than  ten 
minutes  she  was  at  the  Queen's  door.  I  was  the  only  person 
there,  having  been  forbidden  to  send  for  the  other  women ;  Ma- 
dame dc  Polignac  came  in ;  the  Queen  held  out  her  arms  to  her, 
the  duchess  rushed  towards  her.  I  heard  her  sobs  renewed,  and 
withdrew. 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  afterwards  the  Queen,  who  was  become 
calmer,  rang  to  be  dressed.  I  sent  her  woman  in ;  she  put  on 
her  gown  and  retired  to  her  boudoir  with  the  duchess.  Very 
soon  afterwards  the  Count  d'Artois  arrived  from  Compeigne, 
where  he  had  been  with  the  King.  He  hastily  crossed  the  ante- 
chamber and  the  chamber,  and  eagerly  inquired  where  the  Queen 
was.  He  remained  half  an  hour  with  her  and  the  duchess;  and 
on  coming  out  told  me  the  Queen  asked  for  me.  I  found  her 
seated  on  her  couch,  by  the  side  of  her  friend ;  her  features  had 
resumed  their  usual  cheerful  and  gracious  appearance.  She  held 
out  her  hand  to  me,  and  said  to  the  duchess,  "  I  know  I  have 
made  her  so  uncomfortable  this  morning,  that  I  must  set  her 
poor  heart  at  ease."  She  then  added,  "  You  must  have  seen,  on 
some  fine  summer's  day,  a  black  cloud  suddenly  appear,  and 
threaten  to  pour  down  upon  the  country,  and  lay  it  in  waste. 
The  lightest  wind  drives  it  away,  and  the  blue  sky  and  serene 
weather  are  restored.  This  is  just  the  image  of  what  has  hap- 
pened to  me  this  morning."  She  afterwards  told  me  that  the 
King  would  return  from  Compeigne  after  hunting  there,  and  sup 
with  her ;  that  I  must  send  for  her  purveyor,  to  select  with  him, 
from  his  bills  of  fare,  all  such  dishes  as  the  King  liked  best  j 


216  MEMOIRS  OF 

that  she  would  have  no  others  served  up  in  the  evening  at  her 
table;  and  that  this  was  a  mark  of  attention  that  she  wished  the 
King  to  observe.  The  Duchess  de  Polignac  also  took  me  by  the 
hand,  and  told  me  how  happy  she  was  that  she  had  been  with 
the  Queen  at  a  moment  when  she  stood  in  need  of  a  friend.  I 
never  knew  what  could  have  created  in  the  Queen  so  lively  and 
so  transient  an  alarm ;  but  I  guessed  from  the  particular  care 
she  took  respecting  the  King,  that  attempts  had  been  made  to 
irritate  him  against  her;  that  the  malice  of  her  enemies  had 
been  promptly  discovered  and  counteracted  by  the  King's  pene- 
tration and  attachment;  and  that  the  Count  d'Artois  had 
hastened  to  bring  her  intelligence  of  it. 

It  was,  I  think,  in  the  summer  of  1787,  during  one  of  the 
Trianon  excursions,  that  the  Queen  of  Naples  sent  the  Chevalier 
de  Bressac  to  her  majesty,  on  a  secret  mission  relative  to  a  pro- 
jected marriage  between  the  hereditary  prince  her  son,  and 
madame  the  King's  daughter;  in  the  absence  of  the  lady  of 
honour,  he  addressed  himself  to  me.  Notwithstanding  he 
said  a  great  deal  to  me  about  the  close  confidence  with  which 
the  Queen  of  Naples  honoured  him,  and  about  his  letters  of 
credit,  I  thought  he  had  quite  the  air  of  an  adventurer.*  He 
had,  indeed,  private  letters  for  the  Queen,  and  his  mission  was 
not  feigned ;  he  talked  to  me  very  inconsiderately  even  before 
his  admission,  and  entreated  me  to  do  all  that  lay  in  my  power 
to  dispose  the  Queen's  mind  in  favour  of  his  sovereign's  wishes  : 
I  declined  it ;  assuring  him  that  it  did  not  belong  to  me  to 
meddle  with  state  affairs.  He  endeavoured,  but  in  vain,  to  prove 
to  me  that  the  union  contemplated  by  the  Queen  of  Naples  ought 
not  to  be  looked  upon  in  that  light. 

I  procured  M.  de  Bressac  the  audience  he  desired,  but  with- 
out suffering  myself  even  to  seem  acquainted  with  the  object  of 
his  mission.  The  Queen  told  me  what  it  was :  she  thought  him 
a  person  ill  chosen  for  the  occasion ;  and  yet  she  thought  that 
the  Queen,  her  sister,  had  done  very  well  in  not  making  use  of 

*  I  know  that  he  afterwards  spent  several  years  shut  up  in  the  castle 
de  1'CEuf. — Note  by  Madame  Campan. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  217 

a  man  fit  to  be  avowed ;  it  being  impossible  that  what  she  soli- 
cited should  take  place.  I  had  an  opportunity  on  this  occasion, 
as  indeed  on  many  others,  of  judging  to  what  extent  the  Queen 
valued  and  loved  France  and  the  dignity  of  our  court.  She  then 
told  me  that  Madame,  in  marrying  her  cousin,  the  Duke  d'An- 
gouleine,  would  not  lose  her  rank  as  daughter  of  the  Queen  ;  and 
that  her  situation  would  be  far  more  preferable  to  that  of  Queen 
of  any  other  country ;  that  there  was  nothing  in  Europe  to  be 
compared  to  the  court  of  France ;  and  that  it  would  be  necessary, 
in  order  to  avoid  exposing  a  French  princess  to  feelings  of  deep 
regret,  in  case  she  should  be  married  to  a  foreign  prince,  to  take 
her  from  the  palace  of  Versailles  at  seven  years  of  age,  and  send 
her  immediately  to  the  court  in  which  she  was  to  dwell ;  and 
that  at  twelve  it  would  be  too  late ;  for  that  recollections  and 
comparisons  would  ruin  the  happiness  of  all  the  rest  of  her  life. 
The  Queen  looked  upon  the  fate  of  her  sisters  as  far  beneath  her 
own;  and  frequently  mentioned  the  mortifications  inflicted  by 
the  court  of  Spain  upon  her  sister,  the  Queen  of  Naples;*  and 
of  the  necessity  she  was  under  of  imploring  the  mediation  of 
the  King  of  France. 

*  The  following  extract  may  perhaps  assist  in  pointing  out  the  motive 
of  these  mortifications.  It  shows,  at  least,  very  plausibly,  how  the 
Empress  Maria  Theresa,  hoped  to  promote  her  extensive  schemes,  by 
the  alliance  of  the  archduchess  Caroline  with  the  King  of  Naples,  and 
what  obstacles  the  Spanish  branch  of  the  Bourbons  presented  to  designs, 
the  depth  of  which  did  not  pass  unperceived  by  them. 

The  observations  about  to  be  given  are  from  the  Historical  Memoirs  of 
the  Reign  of  Louis  XVI.,  by  the  Abbe"  Soulavie  ;  but  the  testimony  of 
Count  d'Orloff,  in  the  sensible,  clear  and  instructive  work,  which  he 
has  published  on  the  kingdom  of  Naples,  gives  them  great  weight.  We 
quote  a  passage  of  some  length  from  M.  d'Orloff's  work  (see  letter  U), 
and  we  recommend  the  perusal  of  it,  because  it  describes  truly,  and  in 
an  interesting  manner,  the  empire  which  Queen  Caroline  had  acquired 
over  her  husband,  the  character  of  the  minister  Acton,  the  just  grounds 
of  the  resentment  felt  by  the  court  of  Madrid,  and  the  part  played  by 
France  among  all  these  differences.  This  is  what  the  Abbe"  Soulavie 
says  on  this  subject  :— 

"  Under  the  nourishing  reigns  of  the  house  of  Bourbon,  France  had 


218  MEMOIRS  OF 

She  showed  me  several  letters  that  she  had  received  from  the 
Queen  of  Naples,  relative  to  her  differences  with  the  court  of 
Madrid,  respecting  the  minister  Acton.  She  thought  him  useful 
to  her  people,  inasmuch  as  he  was  a  man  of  considerable  infor- 
mation, and  great  activity.  In  these  letters  she  minutely 
acquainted  her  majesty  with  the  nature  of  the  affronts  she  had 
received,  and  represented  Mr.  Acton  to  her,  as  a  man  whom 
malevolence  itself  could  not  suppose  capable  of  interesting  her 
otherwise  than  by  his  services.  She  had  had  to  suffer  the  imperti- 
nence of  a  Spaniard  named  Las  Casas,  who  had  been  sent  to 

fixed  one  of  its  branches  in  Spain,  which  again  had  thrown  out  scions 
into  Italy.  Maria  Theresa  was  jealous  of  this.  Inheriting  all  the 
ambition  of  the  house  of  Austria,  and  all  its  views  upon  Italy,  she  had 
promised  herself,  during  a  profound  peace,  to  reconquer  that  beautiful 
country  by  stratagem,  by  giving  to  the  court  of  Naples  an  archduchess 
brought  up  at  Vienna,  and  never  likely  to  forget,  that  she  was  the 
guardian  of  the  interests  of  her  family  at  Naples.  Queen  Caroline  ably 
seconded  the  views  of  her  mother :  seeing  in  the  city  of  Naples,  noth- 
ing more  than  a  property  formerly  Austrian,  and  particularly  insecure 
in  the  hands  of  Ferdinand,  and  being  remarkably  apt  at  creating  min- 
isters submissive  to  her  will,  at  retaining  and  defending  them,  and  de- 
taching them  from  the  court  of  Madrid,  where  the  stem  of  the  Neapo- 
litan branch  of  the  Bourbons  reigned,  she  succeeded  in  giving  her  hus- 
band a  disinclination  to  the  family  compact,  in  which  the  principal 
strength  of  the  decendants  of  Louis  XIV.  lay,  so  devoted  was  she  to 
her  brother  Joseph,  the  only  divinity  she  adored. 

"  This  conduct  of  Caroline,  Queen  of  Naples,  and  the  precautions 
taken  by  the  house  of  Austria,  in  all  its  treaties  of  peace  with  France, 
to  preserve  some  hold  over  Italy,  develope  the  views  of  the  house  of 
Austria,  respecting  that  ancient  inheritance  of  which  it  had  been  de- 
prived by  the  courage  and  policy  of  the  Bourbons.  But  for  the  firmnesa 
of  Don  Carlos,  King  of  Naples,  upon  his  accession  to  the  throne  of  Spain, 
Austria  would  have  repossessed  that  ancient  domain,  by  virtue  of  the 
reversionary  clauses  which  Maria  Theresa  had  artfully  introduced  into 
the  treaty  of  Aix  la  Chapelle,  and  which  she  had  again  procured  to  bt 
inserted  in  the  treaty  of  1758:  an  evident  proof,  that  Austria  has  not 
lost  sight  of  the  project  of  a  new  settlement  in  the  bosom  of  Italy." 
Recent  events  add  greatly  to  the  weight  of  ihese  conjectures,  respect 
ing  the  ambitious  policy  of  the  house  of  Aufitria. — Note  by  the  Editor. 


MAHIE  ANTOINETTE.  219 

her  by  the  King,  her  father-in-law,  to  persuade  her  to  dismiss 
Mr.  Acton  from  the  business  of  the  state,  and  from  her  inti- 
macy. She  complained  bitterly  to  the  Queen  her  sister,  of  the 
disgusting  proceedings  of  this  charge  d'affaires,  whom  she  told, 
in  order  to  convince  him  of  the  nature  of  the  feelings  which 
attached  her  to  Mr.  Acton,  that  she  would  have  portraits  and 
busts  of  him  executed  by  the  most  eminent  artist  of  Italy,  and 
that  she  would  then  send  them  to  the  King  of  Spain,  to  prove 
that  nothing  but  the  desire  to  retain  a  man  of  superior  capacity, 
had  induced  her  to  bestow  on  him  the  favour  he  enjoyed.  This 
Las  Casas  dared  to  answer  her  that  it  would  be  an  useless 
trouble ;  that  the  ugliness  of  a  man  did  not  always  render  him 
displeasing;  and  the  King  of  Spain  had  too  much  experience 
not  to  know  that  there  was  no  accounting  for  the  caprices  of  a 
woman. 

This  audacious  reply  filled  the  Queen  of  Naples  with  indigna- 
tion, and  her  emotion  caused  her  to  miscarry  on  the  same  day. 
Through  the  intermediation  of  Louis  XVI.,  the  Queen  of 
Naples  obtained  complete  satisfaction  in  this  affair,  and  Mr. 
Acton  was  continued  in  his  post  of  prime  minister.* 

Among  the  characteristics  which  denoted  the  great  goodness 
of  the  Queen,  her  respect  for  personal  liberty  should  have  a 
place.  I  have  seen  her  put  up  with  the  most  troublesome 
importunities  from  people  whose  minds  were  deranged,  rather 
than  have  them  taken  up.  Her  patient  benignity  was  put  to  a 
very  disagreeable  trial  by  an  old  member  of  the  Bordeaux  par- 
liament, named  Castelnaux :  this  man  declared  himself  a  lover 
of  the  Queen,  and  was  generally  known  by  that  appellation. 
For  ten  successive  years  did  he  follow  the  court  in  all  its  excur- 
sions. Pale  and  wan,  as  people  who  are  out  of  their  senses 
usually  are,  his  sinister  appearance  occasioned  the  most  uncom- 
fortable sensations.  During  the  two  hours  that  the  Queen's 
public  card-parties  lasted,  he  would  remain  fixed  opposite  her 
majesty.  lie  placed  himself  in  the  same  manner  before  her 

eyes  at  chapel,  and  never  failed  to  be  at  the  King's  dinner,  or 
<£ 

*  See  Historical  Illustrations,  letter  (U),  particulars  respecting  this 
minister,  and  his  conduct  towards  France. — Note  by  the  Editor. 
VOL.  i.— 20 


220  MEMOIRS  OF 

the  grand  convert.  At  the  theatre,  he  invariably  seated  himself 
as  near  the  Queen's  box  as  possible.  He  always  set  off  for 
Fontainebleau,  or  St.  Cloud,  the  day  before  the  court,  and  when 
her  majesty  arrived  at  her  various  residences,  the  first  person 
she  met  on  getting  out  of  her  carriage  was  this  melancholy  mad- 
man. He  never  spoke  to  any  one.  While  the  Queen  was  at 
Petit  Trianon,  the  passion  of  this  unhappy  man  became  still 
more  annoying.  He  would  hastily  swallow  his  morsel  at  some 
eating  house,  and  spent  all  the  rest  of  the  day,  even  when  it 
rained,  in  going  round  and  round  the  garden,  always  walking  at 
the  edge  of  the  moat.  The  Queen  frequently  met  him  when 
she  was  walking  either  alone  or  with  her  children ;  and  yet  she 
would  not  suffer  any  violence  to  be  used  to  relieve  her  from  this 
intolerable  annoyance.  Having  one  day  given  M.  de  Seze  per- 
mission to  enter  Trianon,  she  sent  to  desire  he  would  come  to 
me,  and  directed  me  to  inform  that  celebrated  advocate  of  M.  de 
Casteluaux's  derangement,  and  then  to  send  for  him,  that  M.  de 
Seze  might  have  some  conversation  witli  him.  He  talked  to 
him  nearly  an  hour,  and  made  considerable  impression  upon  his 
mind :  and  at  last  M.  de  Castelnaux  requested  me  to  inform  the 
Queen,  that  positively,  since  his  presence  was  disagreeable  to  her, 
he  would  retire  to  his  province.  The  Queen  was  very  much 
rejoiced,  and  desired  me  to  express  her  full  satisfaction  to  M. 
de  Seze.  Half  an  hour  after  M.  de  Seze  was  gone,  the  unhappy 
madman  was  announced  to  me.  He  came  to  tell  me  that  he 
withdrew  his  promise,  that  he  had  not  sufficient  command  of 
himself  to  give  up  seeing  the  Queen  as  often  as  possible.  This 
new  determination  was  a  disagreeable  message  to  take  to  her 
majesty;  but  how  was  I  affected  at  hearing  her  say  :  "Well,  let 
him  annoy  me  !  but  let  him  not  be  deprived  of  the  blessing  of 
freedom.* 

*  On  the  fatal  arrest  of  the  King  and  Queen  at  Varennes,  this  unfor- 
tunate Castelnaux  attempted  to  starve  himself  to  death.  The  people 
in  whose  house  he  lived,  becoming  uneasy  at  his  absence,  had  the  door 
of  his  room  forced  open,  -where  he  was  found,  stretched  senseless  on 
the  floor.  I  do  not  know  what  became  of  him  after  the  10th  of  August. 

Note  by  Madame  Campan. 


MARIE   ANTOINETTE.  221 

The  direct  influence  of  the  Queen  on  affairs,  during  the  earlier 
years  of  the  reign,  was  only  shown  in  her  obliging  exertions  to 
obtain  from  the  King  a  revision  of  the  decrees  in  two  celebrated 
causes.* 

If  the  King  did  not  inspire  the  Queen  with  a  lively  feeling 
of  love,  it  is  at  least  quite  certain  that  she  yielded  him  a  mixed 
tribute  of  enthusiasm  and  affection,  for  the  goodness  of  his 
disposition  and  the  equity  of  which  he  gave  so  many  accumu- 
lated proofs  throughout  his  reign.  One  evening  she  returned 
very  late :  she  came  out  of  the  King's  closet,  and  said  to  M.  de 
Mizery  and  myself,  drying  her  eyes,  which  were  filled  with 
tears,  "  You  see  me  weeping,  but  do  not  be  uneasy  at  it :  these 
are  the  sweetest  tears  that  a  wife  can  shed ;  they  are  caused  by 
the  impression  which  the  justice  and  goodness  of  the  King  have 
made  upon  me ;  he  has  just  complied  with  my  request  for  a 
revision  of  the  proceedings  against  Messieurs  de  Bellegarde  and 
Moutier,  victims  of  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon's  hatred  to  the  Duke  de 
Choiseul.  He  has  been  equally  just  to  the  Duke  de  Guines,  in 
his  affair  with  Le  Tort.  It  is  a  happy  thing  for  a  Queen  to  be 
able  to  admire  and  esteem  him  who  has  admitted  her  to  a  par- 
cipation  of  his  throne ;  and  as  to  you,  I  congratulate  you  upon 
your  having  to  live  under  the  sceptre  of  so  virtuous  a  sovereign." 
Our  tears  of  affection  mingled  with  those  of  the  Queen;  she 
condescended  to  suffer  us  to  kiss  her  charming  hands.  This 
affecting  scene  is  not  yet  effaced  from  my  recollection — and  was 
it  under  the  sway  of  sovereigns  so  merciful  and  so  feeling  that 

*  The  Queen  did  not  venture  to  meddle  with  those  two  causes  further 
than  to  solicit  a  revision  of  them ;  for  it  was  contrary  to  her  principles 
to  interfere  in  matters  of  justice,  and  never  did  she  avail  herself  of  her 
influence,  to  bias  the  tribunals.  The  Duchess  de  Praslin,  through  a 
criminal  caprice,  carried  her  enmity  to  her  husband  so  far,  as  to  disin- 
herit her  children  in  favour  of  the  family  of  M.  de  Gue'me'ne'e.  The 
Duchess  de  Choiseul,  who  was  warmly  interested  in  this  affair,  one  day- 
entreated  the  Queen  in  my  presence,  at  least  to  condescend  to  ask  the 
first  president  when  the  cause  would  be  called  on  ;  the  Queen  replied, 
that  she  could  not  even  do  that,  for  it  would  manifest  an  interest  which 
it  was  her  duty  not  to  show.' — Note  by  Madame  Campan. 


222  MEMOIRS  OF 

we  endured  horrors  for  which  the  most  cruel  tyranny  would 
have  been  no  excuse  ?  And  were  these  the  beings,  so  august, 
so  formed  by  Divine  Providence  for  the  happiness  of  the  people, 
whom  we  had  the  anguish  of  seeing  sacrificed  to  a  rage  equally 
senseless  and  barbarous  ? 

The  Queen  laid  before  the  King  all  the  memorials  of  the 
Duke  de  Guines,  who,  during  his  embassy  to  England,  was 
involved  in  difficulties  by  a  secretary,  who  speculated  in  the 
public  funds  in  London  on  his  own  account,  but  in  such  a  man- 
ner, as  to  throw  a  suspicion  of  it  on  the  ambassador.  Messieurs 
de  Vergennes  and  Turgot,  bearing  but  little  good  will  to  the 
Duke  de  Guines,  who  was  the  friend  of  the  Duke  de  Choiseul, 
were  not  disposed  to  render  the  ambassador  any  service.  The 
Queen  succeeded  in  fixing  the  King's  particular  attention  on 
this  affair,  and  the  innocence  of  the  Duke  de  Guines  triumphed 
through  the  equity  of  Louis  XVI. 

An  incessant  underhand  war  was  carried  on  between  the 
friends  and  partisans  of  M.  de  Choiseul,  who  were  called  the 
Austrians,  and  those  who  sided  with  Messieurs  d'Aiguillon, 
de  Maurepas,  and  de  Vergennes,  who,  for  the  same  reason,  kept 
up  the  intrigues  carried  on  at  court,  and  in  Paris,  against  the 
Queen.  Marie  Antoinette  on  her  part  supported  those  who  had 
suffered  in  this  political  quarrel,  and  it  was  this  feeling  which 
led  her  to  ask  for  a  revision  of  the  proceedings  against  Mes- 
sieurs de  Bellegarde  and  de  Moutier.  The  first,  a  colonel  and 
inspector  of  artillery,  and  the  second  a  proprietor  of  a  foundry 
at  Saint  Etienne,  were,  under  the  ministry  of  the  Duke 
d'Aiguillon,  condemned  to  imprisonment  for  twenty  years  and 
a  day,  for  having  withdrawn  from  the  arsenals  of  France,  by 
order  of  the  Duke  de  Choiseul,  a  vast  number  of  muskets, 
which  were  thrown  out  as  being  of  no  value  except  as  old  iron, 
while  in  point  of  fact,  the  greater  part  of  those  muskets  were 
immediately  embarked,  and  sold  to  the  Americans.  It  appears 
that  the  Duke  de  Choiseul  imparted  to  the  Queen,  as  grounds 
of  defence  for  the  accused,  the  political  views  which  led  him  to 
authorize  that  reduction  and  sale  in  the  manner  in  which  it  had 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  223 

been  executed.  What  rendered  the  case  of  Messieurs  de  Belle- 
garde  and  de  Moutier  more  unfavourable  was,  that  the  artillery 
officer  who  made  the  reduction  in  the  capacity  of  inspector,  was, 
through  a  clandestine  marriage,  brother-in-law  of  the  owner  of 
the  foundry,  who  became  the  purchaser  of  the  rejected  arms. 
The  innocence  of  the  two  prisoners  was  nevertheless  made 
apparent;  and  they  came  to  Versailles  with  their  wives  and 
children,  to  throw  themselves  at  the  feet  of  their  benefactress. 
This  affecting  scene  took  place  in  the  grand  gallery,  at  the 
entrance  to  the  Queen's  apartment.  She  wished  to  restrain 
the  women  from  kneeling,  saying,  that  they  had  only  had  Justice 
done  them ;  and  that  she  ought  at  that  very  moment  to  be  con- 
gratulated upon  the  most  substantial  happiness  attendant  iipon 
her  station,  that  of  laying  just  appeals  before  the  King.'* 

Whenever  she  had  to  express  her  thoughts  in  public,  the 
Queen  always  used  the  most  appropriate,  elegant,  and  striking 
language,  notwithstanding  the  difficulty  a  foreigner  might  be 
expected  to  experience.  She  answered  all  addresses  herself,  and 
persevered  in  that  custom,  which  she  first  learned  at  the  court 
of  Maria  Theresa.  The  princesses  of  the  house  of  Bourbon  had 
long  ceased  to  take  the  trouble  of  pronouncing  their  answers  in 
such  cases.  Madame  Adelaide  blamed  the  Queen  for  not  doing 
as  they  did,  assuring  her,  that  it  was  quite  sufficient  to  mutter 
a  few  words,  that  might  sound  like  an  answer,  while  the  ad- 
dressers, solely  occupied  with  what  they  themselves  had  just 
been  saying,  would  always  take  it  for  granted,  that  a  proper 
answer  had  been  returned.  The  Queen  saw  that  idleness  alone 
had  pointed  out  such  a  course  of  proceeding,  and  that  as  the 
practice  even  of  muttering  a  few  words,  showed  the  necessity  of 
answering  in  some  way,  it  must  be  more  proper  to  reply  plainly, 

*  There  is  an  engraving  of  the  time,  which  represents  this  scene  of 
gratitude  and  kindness  tolerably  well.  This  piece  has  the  merit  of 
representing  the  places,  costumes,  and  the  personal  likeness  of  the 
principal  personages  with  accuracy.  Among  the  latter,  we  recognize 
M.  the  Count  de  Provence,  (his  Majesty  Louia  XVIII.),  Madame  the 
Countess  de  Provence,  M.  the  Count  and  Madame  the  Countess  d'Artois, 
and  the  Emperor  Joseph  II. — Note  by  the  Editor. 
20* 


224  MEMOIRS  OF 

distinctly,  and  in  the  best  style  possible.  Sometimes,  indeed, 
when  apprised  of  the  subject  of  the  address,  she  would  write 
down  her  answer  in  the  morning,  not  to  learn  it  by  heart,  but 
in  order  to  settle  the  ideas  or  sentiments  she  wished  to  intro- 
duce into  it. 

The  influence  of  the  Countess  do  Polignac  increased  daily ; 
and  her  friends  availed  themselves  of  it,  to  effect  changes  in  the 
ministry.  The  dismissal  of  M.  de  Montbarrey,  a  man  without 
talents  or  character,  was  generally  approved  of.  It  was  justly 
attributed  to  the  Queen.  He  had  been  placed  in  administration 
by  M.  de  Maurepas,  and  backed  by  his  aged  wife  :  both  of  course 
became  more  inveterate  than  ever  against  the  Queen  and  the  Po- 
lignac circle. 

The  appointment  of  M.  de  Segur  to  the  place  of  minister  at 
war,  and  of  M.  de  Castries  to  that  of  minister  of  marine,  were 
wholly  the  work  of  that  circle.  The  Queen  always  dreaded 
making  ministers;  her  favourite  often  wept,  when  the  men  of 
her  circle  compelled  her  to  interfere.  Men  blame  women  for 
meddling  in  business,  and  yet  in  courts  it  is  continually  the  men 
themselves,  who  make  use  of  the  influence  of  the  women,  in 
matters  with  which  the  latter  ought  to  have  nothing  to  do. 

On  the  day  when  M.  de  Segur  was  presented  to  the  Queen  on 
his  new  appointment,  she  said  to  me :  "  You  have  just  seen  a 
minister  of  my  making.  I  am  very  glad  as  far  as  regards  the 
King's  service,  that  he  is  appointed,  for  I  think  the  selection  a 
very  good  one ;  but  I  almost  regret  the  part  I  have  taken  in  this 
appointment.  I  take  a  responsibility  upon  myself.  I  was  for- 
tunate in  being  free  from  any ;  and,  in  order  to  relieve  myself 
from  this  as  much  as  possible,  I  have  just  promised  M.  de  Se- 
gur, and  that  upon  my  word  of  honour,  not  to  back  any  petition, 
nor  to  clog  any  of  his  operations,  by  solicitations  on  behalf  of 
my  proteges." 

During  the  first  administration  of  M.  Necker,  whose  ambition 
had  not  then  drawn  him  into  schemes  repugnant  to  his  better 
judgment,  and  whose  views  appeared  to  the  Queen  to  be  very 
judicious,  she  'indulged  in  hopes  of  the  restoration  of  the 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  225 

finances.  Knowing  that  M.  do  Maurcpas  wished  to  drive  M. 
Necker  to  give  in  his  resignation,  she  urged  him  to  have  pa- 
tience, until  the  death  of  an  old  man,  whom  the  King  kept  about 
him,  from  a  fondness  for  his  first  choice,  and  out  of  respect  for 
his  advanced  age.  She  even  went  so  far  as  to  tell  him  that  M. 
de  Maurepas  was  always  ill,  and  that  his  end  could  not  be  very 
distant.  M.  Necker  would  not  wait  for  that  event.  The  Queen's 
prediction  was  fulfilled.  M.  de  Maurepas  ended  his  days  imme- 
diately after  a  journey  to  Fontainebleau,  in  1781.* 

M.  Necker  had  retired.  He  had  been  exasperated  by  a  piece 
of  treachery  in  the  old  minister,  for  which  he  could  not  forgive 
him.  I  knew  something  of  this  intrigue,  at  the  time  it  took 
place ;  it  has  since  been  fully  explained  to  me,  by  Madame  la 
Marechale  de  Beauvau.  M.  Necker  saw  that  his  credit  at  court 
was  drooping,  and  fearing  lest  that  circumstance  should  injure 
his  financial  operations,  he  wrote  to  the  King  requesting  his 
majesty  would  grant  him  some  favour,  which  might  show  the 
public  that  he  had  not  lost  the  confidence  of  his  sovereign.  He 
concluded  his  letter  by  pointing  out  five  different  requests — such 
an  office,-  or  such  a  mark  of  distinction,  or  such  a  badge  of 
honour,  and  so  on,  and  handed  it  to  M.  de  Maurepas.  The  ors 
were  changed  into  andsj  and  the  King  was  displeased  at  M. 
Necker's  ambition,  and  the  assurance  with  which  he  displayed  it. 

Madame  the  Marechale  de  Beauvau  assures  me,  that  Marshal 
de  Castries  saw  the  minute  of  M.  Necker's  letter  perfectly  in 
accordance  with  what  he  had  told  him,  and  that  he  likewise  saw 
the  altered  copy.* 

The  interest  which  the  Queen  took  in  M.  Necker,  decreased 

*  "Louis  XVI.,"  says  the  Biographie  Universelle,  "  deeply  regretted 
Maurepas.  During  his  last  illness,  he  went  himself  to  inform  him  of 
the  birth  of  the  dauphin  to  announce  it  to  his  friend,  and  rejoice  with  him: 
these  were  his  very  expressions.  The  day  after  his  funeral,  he  said 
with  an  air  of  great  affliction :  "  Ah !  I  shall  no  longer  hear  my  friend 
over  head  every  morning." — A  simple  and  affecting  eulogy,  though  little 
merited  by  him  who  was  the  object  of  it. — Note  by  the  Editor. 

j-  I  have  this  anecdote  under  that  lady's  hand. 

Note  by  Madame  Campan. 


226  MEMOIRS  OF 

during  his  retirement,  and  at  last  changed  into  strong  prejudice 
against  him.  He  wrote  too  much  about  the  measures  he  would 
have  pursued,  and  the  benefits  that  would  have  resulted  to  the 
state  from  them.  The  ministers  who  succeeded  him  thought 
their  operations  embarrassed  by  the  care  that  M.  Necker  and 
his  partisans  incessantly  took  to  occupy  the  public  with  his 
plans;  his  friends  were  too  ardent.  The  Queen  discerned  a 
party  spirit  in  these  combinations,  and  sided  wholly  with  his 
enemies. 

After  those  inefficient  comptrollers-general,  Messieurs  Joly  do 
Fleury,  and  d'Ormesson,  it  became  necessary  to  resort  to  a  man 
of  more  acknowledged  talent,  and  the  Queen's  friends  at  that 
time  combining  with  the  Count  d'Artois,  and,  from  I  know  not 
what  motive,  with  M.  de  Vergennes,  got  M.  de  Calonne  ap- 
pointed. The  Queen  was  highly  displeased  at  this,  and  her 
close  intimacy  with  the  Duchess  de  Polignac  thenceforth  began 
gradually  to  dissolve.  It  was  at  this  period  she  said,  that  when 
sovereigns  chose  favourites,  they  raised  powers  about  them, 
which,  being  flattered,  at  first  for  their  master's  sake,  were  after- 
wards flattered  for  their  own ;  formed  a  party  in  the  state,  acted 
alone,  and  caused  the  odium  of  their  actions  to  fall  upon  the 
sovereigns  to  whom  they  owed  their  influence. 

The  inconveniences  attendant  on  the  private  life  of  a  sove- 
reign, then  struck  the  Queen  in  all  their  bearings.  She  talked 
to  me  about  it  in  confidence,  and  often  told  me  that  I  was  the 
only  person  aware  of  the  vexations  that  her  social  habits  brought 
upon  her ;  but  that  she  must  bear  the  anxieties  of  which  she 
herself  was  the  sole  author ;  that  the  appearance  of  fickleness  in 
a  friendship  such  as  that  which  she  had  contracted  with  the 
duchess,  or  a  total  rupture,  would  be  attended  with  still  greater 
evils,  and  could  only  produce  fresh  calamities.  It  was  not  that 
she  had  to  reproach  Madame  de  Polignac  with  a  single  fault, 
which  could  make  her  regret  the  choice  she  had  made  of  her  for 
a  friend,  but  she  had  not  foreseen  the  inconvenience  of  having 
to  support  the  friends  of  our  friends,  which  society  obliges  one 
to  do. 


MARIE   ANTOINETTE.  227 

Her  majesty  continuing  to  converse  with  me  upon  the  diffi- 
culties she  had  met  with  in  private  life,  told  me  that  ambitious 
men,  without  merit,  sometimes  found  means  to  gain  their  ends 
by  dint  of  importunity,  and  that  she  had  to  blame  herself  for 
having  procured  M.  d'Adhemar  to  be  appointed  to  the  London 
embassy,  merely  because  he  teased  her  into  it  at  the  duchess's 
house.  She  added,  however,  to  this  avowal,  that  it  was  at  a 
time  of  perfect  peace  with  the  English ;  that  the  minister  knew 
the  inefficiency  of  M.  d'Adhemar  as  well  as  she  did,  and  that  he 
could  do  neither  harm  nor  good. 

Often,  in  conversations  of  unreserved  frankness,  the  Queen 
owned  that  she  had  purchased  rather  dearly  a  piece  of  experi- 
ence which  would  make  her  carefully  watch  over  the  conduct  of 
her  daughters-in-law ;  and  that  she  would  be  particularly  scru- 
pulous about  the  qualifications  of  the  ladies  who  might  be  their 
attendants  :  that  no  consideration  of  rank  or  favour  should  bias 
her  in  so  important  a  choice.  She  attributed  several  of  her 
youthful  actions  to  a  lady  of  great  levity,  whom  she  found  in 
her  palace  on  her  arrival  in  France.  She  also  determined  to 
foAid  the  princesses  whom  she  could  control,  the  practice  of 
singing  with  professors,  and  said  sincerely,  and  with  as  much 
severity  as  her  slanderers  could  have  done,  "  I  ought  to  have 
heard  Garat  sing,  and  not  to  have  sung  duets  with  him."  Thus 
impartially  did  she  speak  of  her  youth.  What  was  not  to  bo 
expected  from  her  maturer  age  ! 


228  MEMOIRS  OF 


CHAPTER  XI. 

The  Queen  is  dissatisfied  with  the  Appointment  of  M.  de  Calonne — Acts 
of  Benevolence — Purchase  of  Saint  Cloud — Regulations  of  Internal 
Police:  in  the  Queen's  Name — State  of  France  —  Beaumarchais  — 
Marriage  of  Figaro — Character  of  M.  de  Vaudreuil. 

THE  Queen  did  not  sufficiently  conceal  the  dissatisfaction  she 
felt  at  having  been  unable  to  prevent  the  appointment  of  M.  de 
Calonne ;  she  even  one  day  went  so  far  as  to  say  at  the  duchess's, 
in  the  midst  of  the  partisans  and  protectors  of  that  minister, 
that  the  finances  of  France  passed  alternately  from  the  hands  of 
an  honest  man  without  talent,  into  those  of  a  skilful  knave. 
M.  de  Calonne  was,  therefore,  far  from  acting  in  concert  with 
the  Queen  all  the  time  that  he  continued  in  place ;  and,  while 
dull  verses  were  circulated  about  Paris,  describing  the  Queen  and 
her  favourite  dipping  at  pleasure  into  the  coffers  of  the  comp- 
troller-general, the  Queen  was  avoiding  all  communication  with 
him. 

During  the  long  and  severe  winter  of  1783— I,  the  King  gave 
three  millions  of  livres  for  the  relief  of  the  indigent.  M.  de 
Calonne,  who  felt  the  necessity  of  making  advances  to  the  Queen, 
caught  at  this  opportunity  of  showing  her  his  respect  and  devo- 
tion, but  in  vain.  He  came  and  offered  to  place  in  her  hands 
one  million  of  the  three,  to  be  distributed  in  her  name  and 
under  her  direction.  His  proposal  was  rejected;  the  Queen 
answered,  that  the  charity  ought  to  be  wholly  distributed  in  the 
King's  name,  and  that  she  would  this  year  debar  herself  of  even 
the  slightest  enjoyments,  in  order  to  contribute  to  the  relief  of 
the  unfortunate  all  that  her  savings  would  enable  her  to  give. 

Th'e  moment  M.  de  Calonne  left  the  closet,  the  Queen  sent 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  229 

for  me  :  "  Congratulate  me,  my  dear/'  said  she ;  "  I  have  just 
escaped  a  snare,  or  at  least  a  matter  which  eventually  might 
have  caused  me  much  regret."  She  related  the  conversation 
which  had  taken  place,  word  for  word,  to  me,  adding,  "  that 
man  will  complete  the  ruin  of  the  national  finances.  It  is  said 
that  I  placed  him  in  his  situation.  The  people  are  made  to 
believe  that  I  am  extravagant;  yet  I  have  refused  to  suffer  a 
sum  of  money  from  the  royal  treasury,  although  destined  for  the 
most  laudable  purpose,  to  pass  through  my  hands." 

The  Queen,  making  monthly  retrenchments  from  the  expendi- 
ture of  her  privy  purse,  and  not  having  spent  the  gifts  customary 
at  the  period  of  her  confinement,  was  in  possession  of  from  five 
to  six  hundred  thousand  francs,  her  own  savings.  She  made 
use  of  from  two  to  three  hundred  thousand  francs  of  this,  which 
her  principal  women  sent  to  M.  Lenoir,  to  the  curates  of  Paris 
and  Versailles,  and  to  the  so3urs  hospitalieres,  and  so  distributed 
them  among  families  in  need. 

Desirous  to  implant  in  the  breast  of  her  daughter,  not  only  a 
desire  to  succour  the  unfortunate,  but  those  qualities  necessary 
for  the  due  discharge  of  that  sacred  duty,  the  Queen  incessantly 
talked  to  her,  though  she  was  yet  very  young,  about  the  suffer- 
ings of  the  poor  during  a  season  so  inclement.  The  princess 
already  had  a  sum  of  from  eight  to  ten  thousand  francs  for  cha- 
ritable purposes,  and  the  Queen  made  her  distribute  a  part  of  it 
herself. 

Wishing  to  give  her  children  another  lesson  of  beneficence, 
ehe  desired  me,  on  the  new  year's  eve,  to  get  from  Paris,  as  in 
other  years,  all  the  fashionable  playthings,  and  have  them  spread 
out  in  her  closet.  Then  taking  her  children  by  the  hand,  she 
showed  them  all  the  dolls  and  toys  which  were  ranged  there, 
and  told  them,  that  she  had  intended  to  give  them  some  hand- 
some new  year's  gifts,  but  that  the  cold  made  the  poor  so 
wretched,  that  all  her  money  was  spent  in  blankets  and  clothes, 
to  protect  them  from  the  rigour  of  the  season,  and  in' supplying 
them  with  bread ;  so  that  this  year  they  would  only  have  the 
pleasure  of  looking  at  the  new  playthings.  When  she  returned 


230  MEMOIRS  OF 

with  her  children  into  her  sitting-room,  she  said  there  was  still 
an  unavoidable  expense  to  be  incurred;  that  assuredly  many 
mothers  would  at  that  season  think  as  she  did ;  that  the  toyman 
must  lose  by  it ;  and  therefore,  she  gave  him  fifty  louis  to  repay 
him  for  the  cost  of  his  journey,  and  console  him  for  having  sold 
nothing. 

The  purchase  of  Saint  Cloud,  a  matter  very  simple  in  itself, 
had,  on  account  of  the  prevailing  spirit,  very  unfavourable  con- 
sequences to  the  Queen. 

The  palace  of  Versailles,  pulled  to  pieces  in  the  interior  by  a 
variety  of  new  arrangements,  and  mutilated  in  point  of  uni- 
formity, partly  by  the  removal  of  the  ambassador's  staircase,  and 
partly  by  that  of  the  peristyle  of  columns  placed  at  the  bottom 
of  the  marble  court,  was  equally  in  want  of  substantial  and 
ornamental  repair.  The  King,  therefore,  desired  M.  Micque  to 
lay  before  him  several  plans  for  the  repairs  of  the  palace.  He 
consulted  me  on  certain  arrangements  analogous  to  some  of  those 
adopted  in  the  Queen's  establishment,  and,  in  my  presence,  asked 
M.  Micque,  how  much  money  would  be  wanted  for  the  execu- 
tion of  the  whole  work,  and  how  many  years  he  would  be  in 
completing  it.  I  forget  how  many  millions  of  livres  were  men- 
tioned ;  but  I  remember  M.  Micque  replied,  that  six  years  would 
be  sufficient  time  for  performing  the  whole  undertaking,  if  the 
treasury  made  the  necessary  advances  from  time  to  time  with- 
out any  delay.  "  And  how  many  years  shall  you  require,"  said 
the  King,  "  if  the  advances  are  not  punctually  made  ?"  "  Ten, 
sire,"  replied  the  architect.  "  We  must  then  reckon  upon  ten 
years,"  said  his  majesty,  "  and  put  off  this  greaf  undertaking 
until  the  year  1790 ;  it  will  occupy  the  rest  of  the  century."  The 
King  afterwards  talked  of  the  depreciation  of  property  which 
took  place  at  Versailles,  whilst  the  regent  kept  the  court  of 
Louis  XV.,  at  the  Tuileries,  and  said  that  he  must  consider 
of  means  to  prevent  that  inconvenience ;  it  was  the  desire  to  do 
this  that  promoted  the  purchase  of  Saint  Cloud.  The  Queen 
first  conceived  the  idea  of  it,  one  day  when  she  was  riding  out 
with  the  Duchess  de  Polignac,  and  the.Countess  Diana ;  she  men- 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  231 

tioned  it  to  the  King,  who  was  much  pleased  with  the  thought; 
the  purchase  confirming  him  in  the  intention  of  quitting  Ver- 
sailles, which  he  had  entertained  for  ten  years. 

The  King  determined  to  continue  the  ministers,  public  officers, 
pages,  and  a  considerable  part  of  his  stabling,  at  Versailles. 
Messieurs  de  Breteuil  and  de  Calonne  were  instructed  to  treat 
with  the  Duke  d' Orleans,  for  the  purchase  of  Saint  Cloud ;  at 
first  they  hoped  to  be  able  to  conclude  the  business  by  a  mere 
exchange.  The  value  of  Choisy,  La  Muette,  and  one  forest,  was 
equivalent  to  the  sum  demanded  by  the  house  of  Orleans  ;  and 
in  the  exchange  which  the  Queen  expected,  she  saw  there  was 
a  saving  to  be  made,  instead  of  an  increase  of  expense.  By 
this  arrangement,  the  government  of  Choisy,  in  the  hands  of  the 
Duke  de  Coigny,  and  that  of  La  Muette,  in  the  hands  of  the 
Marshal  de  Soubise,  would  be  suppressed.  At  the  same  time, 
the  two  conciergeries,  and  all  the  servants  employed  in  these 
two  royal  houses,  would  be  reduced ;  but  while  the  treaty  was 
going  forward,  Messieurs  de  Breteuil  and  de  Calonne  gave  up 
the  point  of  exchange,  and  some  millions  in  specie  were  substi- 
tuted for  Choisy  and  La  Muette. 

The  Queen  advised  the  King  to  give  her  Saint  Cloud,  as  a 
means  of  avoiding  the  establishment  of  a  governor,  her  plan 
being  to  have  merely  a  housekeeper  there  ;  by  which  means  the 
governor's  expenses  would  be  saved.  The  King  agreed,  and 
Saint  Cloud  was  purchased  for  the  Queen.  She  provided  the 
same  liveries  for  the  porters  at  the  gates,  and  servants  of  the 
castle,  as  for  those  at  Trianon.  The  housekeeper  at  the  latter 
place  had  put  up  some  regulations  of  internal  police,  with  these 
words  :  "  By  order  of  the  Queen."  The  same  thing  was  done 
at  Saint  Cloud.  The  Queen's  livery  at  the  door  of  a  palace, 
where  it  was  expected  none  but  that  of  the  King  would  be  seen, 
and  the  words,  "  By  order  of  the  Queen,"  at  the  head  of  the 
printed  papers  pasted  near  the  iron  gates,  caused  a  great  sensa- 
tion and  produced  a  very  unfortunate  effect,  not  only  among  the 
common  people,  but  also  among  persons  of  a  superior  class. 
They  saw  in  it  an  attack  upon  the  customs  of  monarchy,  and 

VOL.  i. — 21 


232  MEMOIRS  OF 

customs  are  nearly  equal  to  laws.  The  Queen  heard  of  this, 
but  she  thought  that  her  dignity  would  be  compromised  if  she 
made  any  change  in  the  form  of  these  regulations,  though  they 
might  have  been  altogether  superseded  without  any  inconvenience. 
"  My  name  is  not  misplaced,"  said  she,  "  in  gardens  belonging 
to  myself;  surely  I  may  give  orders  there,  without  infringing 
on  the  rights  of  the  state."  This  was  the  only  answer  she  made 
to  the  representations  which  a  few  faithful  servants  ventured  to 
make  to  her  on  the  subject.  The  discontent  of  the  Parisians 
on  this  occasion,  probably  induced  M.  de  Espremenil,  upon  the 
first  troubles  about  the  parliament,  to  say  that  it  was  impolitic 
and  immoral  in  a  Queen  of  France  to  possess  palaces  of  her 
own  :*  thus  a  change,  effected  through  an  economical  motive, 
assumed  a  very  different  character  in  the  eyes  of  the  public. 

The  Queen  was  very  much  dissatisfied  with  the  manner  in 
which  M.  de  Calonne  had  managed  this  matter.  The  Abbe  d$ 
Vermond,  the  most  active  and  persevering  of  that  minister's 
enemies,  saw  with  delight,  that  the  expedients  of  those,  from 
whom  alone  new  resources  might  be  expected,  were  gradually 
exhausting,  because  the  period  when  the  Archbishop  of  Toulouse 
would  be  placed  over  the  finances  was  thereby  hastened. 

The  royal  navy  had  resumed  an  imposing  attitude  during  the 
war  for  the  independence  of  America;  a  glorious  peace  with 
England  had  compensated  for  the  former  attacks  of  our  enemies 
upon  the  fame  of  France;  and  the  throne  was  surrounded  by 

*  The  Queen  never  forgot  this  affront  of  M.  d'Espremenil's ;  she  said, 
that  as  it  was  offered  at  a  time  "when  social  order  had  not  been  disturbed, 
she  had  felt  the  severest  mortification  at  it.  Shortly  before  the  down- 
fall of  the  throne,  M.  d'Espremenil,  having  openly  espoused  the  Bang's 
side,  was  insulted  in  the  garden  of  the  Tuileries,  by  the  Jacobins, 
and  so  ill  treated,  that  he  was  carried  home  very  ill.  Somebody  recom- 
mended the  Queen,  on  account  of  the  royalist  principles  he  then  pro- 
fessed, to  send  and  inquire  after  him.  She  replied  that  she  was  truly 
grieved  at  what  had  happened  to  M.  d'Espremenil,  but  that  mere  policy 
should  never  induce  her  to  show  any  particular  solicitude  about  the 
man  who  had  been  the  first  to  make  so  insulting  an  attack  upon  her 
character. — Note  by  Madame  Campan. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  233 

numerous  heirs.  The  sole  ground  of  uneasiness  was  in  the 
finances,  but  that  uneasiness  related  only  to  the  manner  in  which 
they  were  administered.  In  a  word,  France  felt  confidence  in 
its  own  strength  and  resources,  when  two  events,  which  seem 
scarcely  worthy  of  a  place  in  history,  but  which  have  neverthe- 
less an  important  one  in  that  of  the  French  revolution,  intro- 
duced a  spirit  of  sarcasm  and  contempt,  not  only  against  the 
highest  ranks,  but  even  against  the  most  august  personages.  I 
allude  to  a  comedy  and  a  great  swindling  transaction. 

Beaumarchais  had  long  possessed  a  brilliant  reputation  in  cer- 
tain circles  in  Paris,  for  his  wit  and  musical  talents,  and  at  the 
theatres  for  dramas  more  or  less  indifferent,  when  his  comedy 
of  "  The  Barber  of  Seville"  procured  him  a  more  decided  repu- 
tation upon  the  French  stage.  His  memoirs  against  M.  Goes- 
man  had  amused  Paris,  by  the  ridicule  they  threw  upon  a 
parliament  which  was  disliked ;  and  his  admission  to  an  inti- 
macy with  M.  de  Maurepas,  procured  him  a  degree  of  influence 
over  important  affairs.  Thus  honourably  situated,  he  became 
ambitious  of  the  dangerous  reputation  of  giving  a  general  im- 
pulse to  the  minds  of  the  people  of  the  capital,  by  a  kind  of 
drama,  in  which  the  most  respected  manners  and  customs  were 
held  up  to  popular  derision,  and  the  ridicule  of  the  new  philoso- 
phers. After  several  years  of  prosperity,  the  minds  of  the 
French  had  become  more  generally  turned  to  criticism  and  ridi- 
cule ;  and  when  Beaumarchais  had  finished  his  monstrous  but 
diverting  Marriage  of  Figaro,  all  people  of  any  consequence, 
were  eager  for  the  gratification  of  hearing  it  read,  for  the  cen- 
sors of  the  police  had  decided  that  the  piece  should  not  be  per- 
formed. These  readings  of  Figaro  grew  so  numerous  through 
the  author's  politic  complaisance,  that  people  were  daily  heard 
to  say :  I  have  been,  or  I  am  going  to  be,  at  the  reading  of 
Beaumarchais'  play.  The  desire  to  see  it  performed  became 
universal :  an  expression  that  he  had  the  art  to  insert  in  his 
work,  compelled,  as  it  were,  the  approbation  of  the  superior 
nobility,  or  of  persons  in  power,  who  aimed  at  the  honour  of 
being  ranked  among  the  magnanimous ;  he  made  his  Figaro  say, 


234  MEMOIRS  OF 

that  none  but  little  minds  dreaded  little  books.  The  Baron  de 
Breteuil,  and  all  the  men  of  Madame  de  Polignac's  circle,  entered 
the  lists  as  the  warmest  protectors  of  the  comedy.  Solicitations 
to  the  King  became  so  pressing,  that  his  majesty  determined  to 
judge  for  himself  of  a  work  which  so  much  engrossed  the  pub- 
lic attention,  and  desired  me  to  ask  M.  Le  Noir,  lieutenant  of 
police,  for  the  manuscript  of  the  Marriage  of  Figaro.  One 
morning  I  received  a  note  from  the  Queen,  ordering  me  to  be 
with  her  at  three  o'clock,  and  not  to  come  without  having  dined, 
for  that  she  should  detain  me  some  time.  When  I  got  to  the 
Queen's  inner  closet,  I  found  her  alone  with  the  King;  a  chair 
and  a  small  table  were  ready  placed,  opposite  to  them,  and  upon 
the  table  lay  an  enormous  manuscript  in  several  books.  The 
King  said  to  me,  "That  is  Beaumarchais'  comedy;  you  must 
read  it  to  us.  You  will  find  several  parts  troublesome,  on 
account  of  the  erasures  aud  references.  I  have  already  run  it 
over,  but  I  wish  the  Queen  to  be  acquainted  with  the  work. 
You  will  not  mention  this  reading  to  any  one." 

I  began.  The  King  frequently  interrupted  me  by  remarks 
which  were  always  just,  either  of  praise  or  censure.  He  fre- 
quently exclaimed,  "  That's  in  bad  taste ;  this  man  continually 
brings  the  Italian  concetti  on  the  stage."  At  that  soliloquy  of 
Figaro,  in  which  he  attacks  various  points  of  government,  but 
aims  most  particularly  at  state-prisons,  the  King  rose  up,  and 
said  indignantly,  "  That's  detestable;  that  shall  never  be  played : 
the  Bastile  must  be  destroyed,  before  the  license  to  act  this  play 
can  be  any  other  than  the  act  of  the  most  dangerous  folly.  This 
man  scoffs  at  everything  that  is  to  be  respected  in  a  government." 
Surely,  the  King  here  gave  a  decision,  to  which  experience  must 
have  reconciled  all  the  enthusiastic  admirers  of  the  whimsical 
production  in  question.  "  It  will  not  be  played,  then  ?"  said  the 
Queen.  "No,  certainly/'  replied  Louis  XVI.;  "you  may  rely 
upon  that." 

Still  it  was  constantly  reported  in  company,  that  Figaro  was 
about  to  be  performed;  there  were  even  many  wagers  laid  upon 
the  si  bject :  I  never  should  have  laid  any  myself,  fancying 


MA1UE  ANTOINETTE.  235 

myself  much  better  informed  as  to  the  probability  than  anybody 
else;  if  I  had,  however,  I  should  have  been  completely  de- 
ceived. The  protectors  of  Beaumarchais,  or  rather  of  his  work, 
persuading  themselves  that  they  should  certainly  succeed  in 
their  scheme  of  rendering  it  popular,  in  spite  of  the  King's 
prohibition,  distributed  the  parts  in  the  "  Marriage  of  Figaro" 
among  the  actors  of  the  Theatre  Francais.  Beaumarchais  had 
made  them  enter  into  the  spirit  of  his  characters,  and  they 
determined  to  enjoy  at  least  one  performance  of  this  pretended 
chef-d'oeuvre  of  the  drama.  The  first  gentleman  of  the  chamber 
agreed  that  M.  de  la  Ferte  should  lend  the  theatre  of  the  hotel 
des  Menus-plaisirs,  at  Paris,  which  was  used  for  rehearsals  of 
the  Opera ;  tickets  were  distributed  to  a  vast  number  of  persons 
of  the  first  rank  in  society;  and  the  day  for  the  performance 
was  fixed.  The  King  heard  of  these  arrangements  only  on  the 
very  morning  of  that  day,  and  signed  a  lettre  de  cacliet,*  which 
prohibited  the  performance.  When  the  messenger  who  brought 
the  order  arrived,  he  found  a  part  of  the  theatre  already  filled 
with  spectators,  and  the  streets  leading  to  the  hotel  des  Menus- 
plaisirs  were  filled  with  carriages;  the  piece  was  not  performed. 
This  prohibition  of  the  King's  was  looked  upon  as  an  attack  on 
public  liberty. 

The  disappointment  produced  so  strong  a  discontent,  that  the 
words  oppression  and  tyranny  were  uttered  with  no  less  passion 
and  bitterness  at  that  time,  than  during  the  time  which  imme- 
diately preceded  the  downfall  of  the  throne.  Beaumarchais  was 
so  far  put  off  his  guard  by  rage,  as  to  exclaim  :  "  Well !  gentle- 
men, he  won't  suffer  it  to  be  played  here ;  now  I  swear  it  shall 
bo  played — perhaps  in  the  very  choir  of  Notre-Dame  I"  There 
was  something  prophetic  in  these  words.f  It  was  generally 

*  A  lettre  de  cachet,  was  any  written  order  proceeding  from  the  King's 
•will.  The  term  "was  not  confined  merely  to  orders  for  arrest. 

Note  by  Madame  Campan. 

f  The  keeper  of  the  seals  had  constantly  opposed  the  performance 
of  this  play.  The  King  said  in  his  presence  one  day,  "  You  will  see 
that  Beaumarchais  will  have  more  weight  than  the  keeper  of  the  seals." 
Did  that  prince  imagine  he  was  speaking  the  truth  so  accurately? 

gj  *  Note  by  the  .Editor. 


236  MEMOIRS  OF 

insinuated,  shortly  afterwards,  that  Beaumarchais  had  at  length 
determined  to  suppress  all  those  parts  of  his  work  which  could 
be  obnoxious  to  government,  and  on  pretence  of  judging  of  the 
sacrifices  made  by  the  author,  M.  de  Vaudreuil  obtained  permis- 
sion to  have  this  far-famed  "  Marriage  of  Figaro"  performed  at 
his  country  house.  M.  Campan  was  asked  there ;  he  had  fre- 
quently heard  the  work  read,  and  did  not  now  find  the  alterations 
that  had  been  announced;  this  he  observed  to  several  persons 
belonging  to  the  court,  who  maintained  that  the  author  had 
made  all  the  prescribed  suppressions.  Everybody  came  to  talk 
to  him  about  it.  M.  Campan  was  so  astonished  at  these  asser- 
tions in  favour  of  an  obvious  falsehood,  that  he  replied  by  a 
quotation  from  Beaumarchais  himself,  and  assuming  the  tone  of 
Basil,  in  the  "  Barber  of  Seville,"  he  said  :  "  Faith,  gentlemen, 
I  don't  know  who  is  deceived  here ;  you  all  seem  to  be  in  the 
secret."  They  then  came  to  the  point,  and  earnestly  begged 
him  to  tell  the  Queen  positively,  that  all  which  had  been  pro- 
nounced reprehensible  in  M.  de  Beaumarchais'  play,  had  been 
cut  out.  My  father-in-law  contented  himself  with  replying, 
that  his  situation  at  court  not  allowing  of  his  giving  an  opinion, 
except  in  case  the  Queen  should  first  speak  of  the  piece  to  him, 
he  could  not  say  what  he  thought  of  it  unless  she  should  ask 
him.  The  Queen  said  nothing  to  him  about  the  matter.  Per- 
mission to  perform  this  play  was  at  length  obtained.  The 
Queen  thought  the  people  of  Paris  would  be  finely  tricked  when 
they  saw  merely  an  ill-conceived  piece,  devoid  of  interest,  as 
it  must  appear  since  i£  was  deprived  of  its  satire.*  Under 
the  persuasion  that  there  was  not  a  passage  left,  capable 
of  malicious  or  dangerous  application,  Monsieur  attended  the 
first  performance  in  a  public  box.  The  mad  enthusiasm  of 

*  This  was  the  opinion  of  Louis  XVI.  also.  "  The  King,"  says 
Grimm,  "  made  sure  that  the  public  would  judge  unfavourably  of  the 
work.  He  said  to  the  Marquis  de  Montesquieu,  who  was  going  to  see 
the  first  representation,  "Well,  what  do  you  augur  of  its  success?" 
"  Sire,  I  hope  the  piece  will  fail."  "  And  so  do  I,"  replied  the  King. 

Note  by  the  Editor. 


MARIE  ANTOINETTE.  237 

the  public  in  favour  of  the  piece,  and  Monsieur's  just  displea- 
sure, are  well  known.  The  author  was  sent  to  prison  soon 
afterwards,  though  his  work  was  extolled  to  the  skies,  and 
though  the  court  durst  not  suspend  its  performance.* 

*  "  There  is  something  still  more  ridiculous  than  my  piece,"  said 
Beaumarchais  himself;  "that  is,  its  success."  Mademoiselle  Arnould 
foresaw  it  the  first  day,  and  exclaimed,  "It  is  a  production  that  will 
fail  fifty  nights  successively." 

There  was  as  crowded  an  audience  on  the  seventy-second  night,  as 
on  the  first.  A  circumstance  related  by  Grimm  enhanced  the  public 
curiosity.  The  following  is  extracted  from  his  correspondence : 

"  Answer  of  M.  de  Beaumarchais  to  the  Duke  de  VUlcquier,  who  requested 
the  use  of  his  private  box  for  some  ladies,  who  wished  to  see  Figaro,  without 
being  seen. 

"  I  have  no  respect,  M.  le  due,  for  women  who  indulge  themselves  in 
seeing  any  play,  which  they  think  indecorous,  provided  they  can  do  so 
in  secret.  I  lend  myself  to  no  such  fancies.  I  have  given  my  piece  to  the 
public,  to  amuse,  and  not  to  instruct,  not  to  give  any  compounding 
prudes  the  pleasure  of  going  to  admire  it  in  a  private  box,  and  balancing 
their  account  with  conscience  by  slandering  it  in  company.  To  indulge 
in  the  pleasure  of  vice,  and  assume  the  credit  of  virtue,  is  the  hypocrisy 
of  the  age.  My  piece  is  not  of  a  doubtful  nature ;  it  must  be  patronized 
in  good  earnest,  or  avoided  altogether ;  therefore,  with  my  respects  to 
you,  M.  le  due,  I  shall  keep  my  box." 

"This  letter,"  adds  Grimm,  "was  circulated  all  over  Paris  for  a 
week.  At  first  it  was  said  to  be  addressed  to  the  Duke  de  Villequier, 
and  afterwards  to  the  Duke  d'Aumont.  It  got,  in  this  form,  as  far  as 
Versailles^  where  it  was  pronounced,  as  it  deserved  to  be,  an  extraor- 
dinary piece  of  impertinence.  It  seemed  the  more  insolent,  inasmuch 
as  it  was  well  known,  that  certain  very  great  ladies  had  declared  that 
if  they  did  go  to  see  the  "  Marriage  of  Figaro,"  it  should  be  only  in  a 
private  box.  The  most  zealous  partisans  of  M.  de  Beaumarchais,  did 
not  dare  even  to  attempt  to  vindicate  him.  After  having  enjoyed  this  new 
flash  of  celebrity,  owing  either  to  his  own  consideration  or  to  the  threats 
of  his  enemies,  M.  de  Beaumarchais  was  compelled  to  announce  publicly, 
that  his  famous  letter  never  was  written  to  a  duke  or  peer,  but  to  one 
of  his  own  friends,  and  that  upon  the  first  spur  of  dissatisfaction. 

It  was  proved  that  the  letter  was  written  to  a  president  of  one  of  the 
parliaments,  whereupon  indignation  subsided ;  for  that  which  appeared 
impertinent,  when  addressed  to  men  of  the  court,  was  deemed  so  no 
longer,  when  addressed  to  one  of  the  long  robe. — Note  by  the  Editor. 


238  MEMOIRS  OF 

The  Queen  testified  her  displeasure  against  all  who  had  assisted 
the  author  of  the  "Marriage  of  Figaro"  to  deceive  the  King 
into  giving  his  consent  that  it  should  be  represented.  Her 
reproaches  were  more  particularly  directed  against  M.  de  Vau- 
dreuil,  for  having  had  it  performed  at  his  house.  The  violent  and 
domineering  disposition  of  her  favourite's  friend,  at  last  became 
disagreeable  to  her. 

One  evening,  on  the  Queen's  return  from  the  duchess's,  she 
desired  her  valet  de  chambre  to  bring  her  billiard  cue  into  her 
closet,  and  ordered  me  to  open  the  box  that  contained  it.  I  was 
surprised  at  not  finding  the  padlock  belonging  to  it,  the  key  of 
which  the  Queen  wore  on  her  watch  chain.  I  opened  the  box 
and  took  out  the  cue,  broken  in  two.  It  was  of  ivory,  and 
formed  of  a  single  elephant's  tooth;  the  butt  was  of  gold,  and 
very  tastefully  wrought.  "  There,"  said  she,  "  that  is  the  way 
M.  de  Vaudreuil  has  treated  a  thing  I  valued  so  highly.  I  had 
laid  it  upon  the  couch  while  I  was  talking  to  the  duchess  iu  the 
saloon ;  he  had  the  assurance  to  make  use  of  it,  and  in  a  fit  of 
passion  about  a  blocked  ball,  he  struck  the  cue  so  violently 
against  the  table,  that  he  broke  it  in  two.  The  noise  brought 
me  back  into  the  billiard  room ;  I  did  not  say  a  word  to  him, 
but  my  looks  showed  him  how  angry  I  was.  H"e  was  the  more 
hurt  at  the  accident,  inasmuch  as  he  aspires  to  the  post  of  go- 
vernor to  the  dauphin,  and  with  that  object  in  view,  it  is  not  wise 
to  expose  such  a  fault  as  passion.  I  never  thought  of  him  for 
the  place.  It  is  quite  enough  to  have  consulted  my  heart  only 
in  the  choice  of  a  governess ;  and  I  will  not  suffer  that  of  go- 
vernor to  the  dauphin  to  be  at  all  affected  by  the  influence  of  my 
friends.  I  should  be  responsible  for  it  to  the  nation. 

"  The  poor  man,"  continued  the  Queen,  "  does  not  know  that 
my  determination  is  made ;  for  I  have  never  explained  upon  the 
subject  to  the  duchess.  Therefore,  judge  of  the  sort  of  evening 
he  must  have  passed.  Besides,  this  is  not  the  first  occurrence 
that  has  shown  me,  that  however  Queens  may  be  wearied  with 
formality  at  home,  they  cannot  amuse  themselves  elsewhere, 
without  lessening  their  dignity." 


RECOLLECTIONS,  SKETCHES,  AND  ANECDOTES, 

BT 

MADAME    CAMPAN. 

PREFACE. 

THERE  are  already  so  many  books,  that  ordinary  talents  for 
writing  are  by  no  means  a  sufficient  excuse  for  increasing  the 
number.  Convinced  as  I  am,  that  the  mania  for  publishing  is 
both  censurable  and  ridiculous,  I  am  far  from  being  weak  enough 
to  suffer  it  to  affect  me  :  but  destiny  having  formerly  placed  me 
near  crowned  heads,  I  now  amuse  my  solitude  with  recording  a 
variety  of  facts  which  may  prove  interesting  to  my  family  when 
I  shall  be  no  more.  I  have  already  collected  all  that  concerned 
the  domestic  life  of  an  unfortunate  princess,  whose  reputation 
is  not  yet  cleared  of  the  stains  it  suffered  from  the  attacks  of 
calumny,  and  who  justly  merited  a  different  lot  in  life,  a  different 
place  in  the  opinion  of  mankind  after  her  fall.  These  Me- 
moirs, which  were  finished  ten  years  since,  have  met  with  the 
approbation  of  some  persons ;  and  my  son  may,  perhaps,  think 
proper  to  print  them  after  my  decease.*  I  know  not  whether 
my  Recollections  will  be  thought  worthy  to  see  the  light ;  but 
whilst  I  am  occupied  in  writing  them,  my  mind  is  diverted  :  I 
pass  calmer  hours ;  and  I  seem  removed  from  the  melancholy 
scenes  by  which  I  am  now  surrounded,  as  far  as  the  sensibility 
of  my  heart  will  permit  me  to  forget  the  present.  The  idea  of 
collecting  all  the  interesting  materials  which  my  memory  affords, 

*  When  Madame  Campan  wrote  these  lines,  she  little  thought  that 
the  death  of  her  son  would  precede  her  own.  See  the  Biographical 
Notice  of  Madame  Campan. — Note  by  the  Editor. 

(239) 


240  PREFACE. 

occurred  to  me  from  reading  the  work,  entitled,  Paris,  Ver- 
sailles, and  the  Provinces,  in  the  Eighteenth  Century.  That  work, 
composed  by  a  man  accustomed  to  the  best  society,  is  full  of 
piquant  anecdotes,  nearly  all  of  which  have  been  recognised  as 
true  by  the  contemporaries  of  the  author.  Such  compilations 
are  at  least  as  valuable  as  those  magazines  of  Ions  mots  and  puns 
which  were  in  vogue  fifty  years  ago.  They  afford  facts ;  they 
introduce  personages  who  have  performed  distinguished  parts. 
They  are  also,  in  some  degree,  capable  of  affording  experience, 
that  most  valuable  acquisition,  which  we  gain  only  by  our  errors, 
which  age  renders  almost  useless,  and  which  can  be  transmitted 
but  very  imperfectly. 


ANECDOTES  OF  THE  REIGN  OF  LOUIS  XIV. 


PREVIOUSLY  to  the  Revolution,  there  were  customs  and  even 
words  in  use  at  Versailles,  with  which  few  people  were  ac- 
quainted. The  King's  dinner  was  called  the  King's  meat.  Two 
of  the  body-guard  accompanied  the  attendants  who  carried  the 
dinner ;  every  one  rose  as  they  passed  through  the  halls,  saying, 
"  There  is  the  King's  meat."  All  precautionary  duties  were  dis- 
tinguished by  the  words — in  case.  Some  chemises  and  hand- 
kerchiefs, kept  in  readiness  in  a  basket  in  the  King's  or  Queen's 
apartments,  in  case  their  majesties  should  wish  to  change  their 
linen  without  sending  to  the  wardrobe,  constituted  the  packet 
in  case.  Their  clothes,  brought  in  great  baskets,  or  clothes  of 
green  taffety,  were  called  the  King's  or  Queen's  ready.  Thus 
the  attendants  would  ask — "  Is  the  King's  ready  come  ?"  One 
of  the  guards  might  be  heard  to  say,  "  I  am  in  case,  in  the 
forest  of  St.  Germain."  In  the  evening,  they  always  brought 
the  Queen  a  large  bowl  of  broth,  a  cold  roast  fowl,  one  bottle 
of  wine,  one  of  orgeat,  one  of  lemonade,  and  some  other  articles, 
which  were  called  the  in  case  for  the  night.  An  old  medical 
gentleman,  who  had  been  physician  in  ordinary  to  Louis  XIV., 
and  was  still  living  at  the  time  of  the  marriage  of  Louis  XV., 
told  M.  Campan's  father  an  anecdote  which  seems  too  remarka- 
ble to  have  remained  unknown ;  nevertheless,  he  was  an  intelli- 
gent, honourable  man,  and  incapable  of  inventing  this  story. 
His  name  was  Lafosse.  He  said,  that  Louis  XIV.  was  informed 
that  the  officers  of  his  table  evinced,  in  the  most  disdainful  and 
offensive  manner,  the  mortification  they  felt  at  being  obliged  to 
eat  at  the  table  of  the  comptroller  of  the  kitchen  along  with  Mo- 
liere,  valet  de  chambre  to  his  majesty,  because  Moliere  had  per- 
formed on  the  stage;  and  that  this  celebrated  author  conse- 

(241) 


242  RECOLLECTIONS,  SKETCHES, 

quently  declined  appearing  at  that  table.  Louis  XIV., 
determined  to  put  an  end  to  insults  which  ought  never  to  have 
been  offered  to  one  of  the  greatest  geniuses  of  the  age,  said  one 
morning  to  Moliere,  at  the  hour  of  his  private  levee,  "  They  say 
you  live  very  poorly  here,  Moliere ;  and  that  the  officers  of  my 
chamber  do  not  find  you  good  enough  to  eat  with  them.  Per- 
haps you  are  hungry ;  for  my  part,  I  awoke  with  a  very  good 
appetite  this  morning :  sit  down  at  this  table.  Serve  up  my  in 
case  for  the  night  there."  The  King  then  cutting  up  his  fowl, 
and  ordering  Moliere  to  sit  down,  helped  him  to  a  wing,  at  the 
same  time  taking  one  for  himself,  and  ordered  the  persons  enti- 
tled to  familiar  entrance,  that  is  to  say,  the  most  distinguished 
and  favourite  people  at  court  to  be  admitted.  "  You  see  me," 
said  the  King  to  them,  "  engaged  in  entertaining  Moliere,  whom 
my  valets  de  chambre  do  not  consider  sufficiently  good  company 
for  them."  From  that  time  Moliere  never  had  occasion  to 
appear  at  the  valets'  table ;  the  whole  court  was  forward  enough 
to  send  him  invitations.* 

*  This  anecdote  is,  perhaps,  one  of  the  most  honourable  to  the  charac- 
ter of  Louis  XIV.  that  is  extant.  It  is  pleasing  to  see  this  haughty 
monarch  behaving  thus  graciously  to  the  player  Moliere,  as  the  author 
of  Tartuffe  and  the  Misanthrope. — These  are  the  acts  by  which  a  truly 
great  prince  knows  how  to  avenge  injured  genius  on  malignant  dul- 
ness,  and  to  reward  the  labours  of  talent. 

Louis  XV.  was  also  desirous  of  encouraging  literature ;  but  he  was 
only  capable  of  affording  it  a  cold  and  supercilious  protection,  unac- 
companied by  any  demonstration  of  grace,  affability,  or  kindness,  and 
more  humiliating  than  obliging. 

In  the  entertaining  Memoirs  of  Madame  du  Hausset,  one  of  Madame 
de  Pompadour's  femmes  de  chambre,  we  meet  with  the  following  pas- 
sage : — 

"  The  Bong,  who  admired  all  that  was  connected  with  the  age  of 
Louis  XIV.,  recollecting  that  the  Boileaus  and  Racines  had  been  pro- 
tected by  him,  and  that  part  of  the  splendour  of  that  reign  was  attribu- 
ted to  his  own,  was  flattered  with  the  idea  that  a  Voltaire  flourished  in 
his  own  court ;  but  he  feared  that  author,  and  did  not  esteem  him.  He 
could  not,  however,  help  saying,  '  I  have  treated  him  as  well  as  Louis 
XIV.  behaved  to  Racine  and  Boileau ;  I  gave  him  the  place  of  gentle- 


AND  ANECDOTES.  243 

The  same  M.  de  Lafosse  used  also  to  relate,  that  a  brigade- 
major  of  the  body  guard,  being  ordered  to  place  the  company  in 
the  little  theatre  at  the  palace  of  Versailles,  very  roughly  turned 
out  one  of  the  King's  comptrollers,  who  had  taken  his  seat  on 
one  of  the  benches,  a  place  to  which  his  newly  acquired  office 
entitled  him.  In  vain  he  insisted  on  his  quality  and  his  right. 
The  altercation  was  ended  by  the  brigade-major  in  these  words  : 
"  Gentlemen  body  guards,  do  your  duty."  In  this  case  their 
duty  was  to  take  the  party,  and  turn  him  out  at  the  door.  This 
comptroller,  who  had  paid  sixty  or  eighty  thousand  francs  for 
his  place,  was  a  man  of  a  good  family,  and  had  had  the  honour 
of  serving  his  majesty  five-and-twenty  years  in  one  of  his  regi- 
ments. Thus  disgracefully  driven  out  of  the  hall,  he  placed 
himself  in  the  King's  way,  in  the  great  hall  of  the  guards,  and 
bowing  to  his  majesty,  requested  him  to  repair  the  honour  of  an 
old  soldier,  who  had  wished  to  end  his  days  in  his  prince's  civil 
employment,  now  that  age  had  obliged  him  to  relinquish  his 
military  service.  The  King  stopped,  heard  the  tale  he  told  in 
accents  of  grief  and  truth,  and  then  ordered  him  to  follow  him. 
His  majesty  attended  the  representation  in  a  sort  of  amphi- 
theatre, in  which  his  arm-chair  was  placed ;  behind  him  was  a 
row  of  stools  for  the  captain  of  the  guards,  the  first  gentlemen 
of  the  chamber,  and  other  great  officers.  The  brigade-major 

man  in  ordinary,  and  a  pension,  as  Louis  XIV.  did  to  Racine.  If  he 
is  presumptuous  enough  to  aim  at  being  a  chamberlain,  wearing  a 
cross,  and  supping  with  the  King,  it  is  not  my  fault.  It  is  not  the  fashion 
in  France ;  and  as  there  are  more  wits  and  great  lords  here,  than  in 
Prussia,  I  should  have  occasion  for  an  immense  table  to  entertain  them 
all  together.'  He  then  counted  on  his  fingers,  '  Maupertuis,  Fontenelle, 
La  Motte,  Voltaire,  Piron,  Destouches,  Montesquieu,  Cardinal  Polig- 
nac.' — '  Your  majesty  forgets,'  said  some  one,  'D'Alembert  and  Clai- 
rault.'  '  And  Crobillon,'  said  he,  '  and  La  Chaussee.'  '  Crebillon,  the 
son,'  said  another,  '  who  must  be  more  agreeable  than  his  father ;  and 
there  is  the  Abbe  Prevot,  and  the  Abb6  Olivet.'  'Very  well,'  said  the 
King,  '  all  these  people  would  have  dined  or  supped  with  me  for  the 
last  five-and-twenty  years.' " 

VOL.  i. — 22 


244  RECOLLECTIONS,  SKETCHES, 

was  entitled  to  one  of  these  places ;  the  King  stopped  opposite 
the  seat  which  ought  to  have  been  occupied  by  that  officer,  and 
said  to  the  comptroller  :  "  Take,  sir,  for  this  evening,  the  place 
near  my  person,  of  him  who  has  offended  you ;  and  let  the  ex- 
pression of  my  displeasure  at  this  unjust  affront,  satisfy  you 
instead  of  any  other  reparation." 


During  the  latter  years  of  the  reign  of  Louis  XIV.,  he  never 
went  out  but  in  a  chair  carried  by  porters,  and  he  showed  much 
partiality  for  a  man  of  the  name  of  D'Aigremont,  one  of  these 
porters,  who  always  went  in  front,  and  opened  the  door  of  the 
chair.  The  slightest  preference  shown  by  sovereigns,  even  to 
the  meanest  of  their  servants,  never  fails  to  excite  observation.* 
The  King  had  done  something  for  this  man's  numerous  family, 
and  frequently  talked  to  him.  An  abbe"  belonging  to  the  char 
pel,  thought  proper  to  request  D'Aigremont  to  present  a  memo- 
rial to  the  King,  in  which  he  petitioned  his  majesty  to  grant  him 
a  benefice.  Louis  XIV.  did  not  approve  of  the  liberty  thug 
taken  by  his  chairman,  and  said  to  him,  in  a  very  angry  tone : 
"  D'Aigremont,  you  have  been  made  to  do  a  very  unbecoming 
act,  and  I  am  sure  there  must  be  simony  in  the  case."  "No, 
Sire,  there  is  not  the  least  ceremony  in  the  case,  I  asure  you," 
answered  the  poor  man,  in  great  consternation  :  "  the  abbe  only 
said  he  would  give  me  a  hundred  louis."  "  D'Aigremont,"  said 
the  King,  "  I  forgive  you  on  account  of  your  ignorance  and  can- 
dour ;  I  will  give  you  the  hundred  louis  out  of  my  privy  purse ; 

*  This  reflection  is  justified  by  an  anecdote,  which  was  probably  un- 
known to  the  author.  People  of  the  very  first  rank  did  not  disdain  to 
descend  to  the  level  of  D'Aigremont.  "Lauzun,"  says  the  Duchess 
d' Orleans,  in  her  Memoirs,  "sometimes  affects  stupidity,  in  order  to 
tell  the  people  their  own  with  impunity  ;  for  he  is  very  malicious.  In 
order  to  make  Marshal  Tesse"  feel  the  impropriety  of  his  familiarity 
with  people  of  the  common  sort,  he  called  out,  in  the  drawing-room  at 
Marly,  'Marshal,  give  me  a  pinch  of  snuff;  some  of  your  best;  such  as 
you  take  in  a  morning  with  Monsieur  d'Aigrement,  the  chairman.' " 

Note  by  the  Editor. 


AND  ANECDOTES.  245 

but  I  will  discharge  you  the  very  next  time  you  venture  to  pre- 
sent a  memorial  to  me." 

Louis  XIV.  was  very  kind  to  those  of  his  servants  who  were 
nearest  his  person ;  but  the  moment  he  assumed  his  royal  deport- 
ment, those  who  were  most  accustomed  to  see  him  in  his  domes- 
tic character,  were  as  much  intimidated,  as  if  they  were  appear- 
ing in  his  presence  for  the  first  time  in  their  lives.  Some  of 
the  members  of  his  majesty's  civil  household,  then  called  tom- 
mensalite,  enjoying  the  title  of  equerry,  and  the  privileges 
attached  to  officers  of  the  King's  household,  had  occasion  to 
claim  some  prerogatives,  the  exercise  of  which  the  municipal 
body  of  St.  Germain,  where  they  resided,  disputed  with  them. 
Being  assembled  in  considerable  numbers  in  that  town,  they 
obtained  the  consent  of  the  minister  of  the  household,  to  allow 
them  to  send  a  deputation  to  the  King ;  and  for  that  purpose, 
chose  from  amongst  themselves,  two  of  his  majesty's  valets  de 
chambre,  named  Bazire,  and  Soulaigrc.  The  King's  levee  being 
over,  the  deputation  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  St.  Ger- 
main was  called  in;  they  entered  with  confidence;  the  King 
looked  at  them,  and  assumed  his  imposing  attitude.  Bazire,  one 
of  these  valets  de  chambre,  was  about  to  speak ;  but  Louis  the 
Great  was  looking  on  him.  He  no  longer  saw  the  prince  he  was 
accustomed  to  attend  at  home :  he  was  intimidated,  and  could 
not  find  words;  he  recovered,  however,  and  began,  as  usual,  with 
the  word  'Sire.  But  timidity  again  overpowered  him,  and  find- 
ing himself  unable  to  recollect  the  slightest  particle  of  what  he 
came  to  say,  he  repeated  the  word  Sire  several  times  over,  and  at 
length  concluded  by  saying,  "Sire,  here  is  Soulaigre."  Sonlaigre, 
who  was  very  angry  with  Bazire,  and  expected  to  acquit  himself 
much  better,  then  began  to  speak.  But  he,  also,  after  repeating 
Sire  several  times,  found  his  embarrassment  increase  upon  him, 
until  his  confusion  equalled  that  of  kis  colleague ;  he  therefore 
ended  with,  "  Sire,  here  is  Bazire."  The  King  smiled,  and 
answered :  "  Gentlemen,  I  have  been  informed  of  the  business 
upon  which  you  have  been  deputed  to  wait  on  me,  and  I  wilt 


246  RECOLLECTIONS,  SKETCHES, 

take  care,  that  what  is  right  shall  be  done.  I  am  highly  satis- 
fied with  the  manner  in  which  you  have  fulfilled  your  functions 
as  deputies."* 

*  In  this  pleasantry  there  is  nothing  bitter  or  harsh,  as  in  most  of 
those  of  Louis  XV. ;  it  leaves  only  the  impression  of  an  agreeable  piece 
of  wit.  Louis  XIV.  never  indulged  in  an  expression  capable  of  offend- 
ing any  one,  and  his  repartees,  which  were  almost  always  full  of  mean- 
ing, often  discover  a  refined  and  delicate  tact.  Generally  speaking,  wit, 
either  poignant  and  caustic,  or  pleasant  and  lively,  has  never  been 
wanting  in  the  descendants  of  Henry  IV.  In  the  Memoirs  of  Madame 
du  Hausset,  there  is  a  striking  observation  by  Duclos  on  this  subject. 

"  M.  Duclos  was  at  Doctor  Quesnay's,  haranguing  with  his  usual 
warmth.  I  heard  him  say  to  two  or  three  persons,  '  The  world  is 
always  unjust  towards  great  men,  ministers,  and  princes ;  nothing  is 
more  common  than  to  deny  them  all  claims  to  wit.  A  few  days  ago  I 
surprised  one  of  these  gentlemen  of  the  infallible  brigade,  by  telling  him 
that  there  has  been  more  wit  in  the  house  of  Bourbon  than  in  any 
"other.' — '  Did  you  prove  that'  ?  said  some  one  with  a  sneer. — '  Yes,'  said 
Duclos,  '  and  I  will  prove  it  to  you.  I  presume  you  allow  that  the 
great  Conde1  was  no  fool,  and  the  Duchess  de  Longueville  is  celebrated 
as  one  of  the  most  brilliant  of  women.  The  regent  was  unrivalled  for 
wit  of  every  kind.  The  Prince  de  Conti,  who  was  elected  King  of  Po- 
land, was  distinguished  for  this  quality,  and  his  verses  are  equal  to 
those  of  La  Fare  and  Saint  Aulaire.  The  Duke  of  Burgundy  was 
learned  and  enlightened.  The  Duchess,  Madame,  daughter  of  Louis 
XV.,  was  an  eminent  wit,  and  made  epigrams  and  couplets.  The 
Duke  de  Maine  is  in  general  known  only  by  his  weakness ;  but  no  one 
could  have  more  agreeable  talents  for  conversation.  His  wife  was  a 
giddy  creature,  but  she  was  fond  of  literature,  understood  poetry,  and 
possessed  a  brilliant  and  inexhaustible  imagination.  I  have  now  men- 
tioned enough  of  them,'  continued  he;  'and,  as  I  am  not  given  to 
flattery,  and  hate  even  the  appearance  of  it,  I  shall  say  nothing  of  the 
living.' — This  list  excited  astonishment,  and  every  one  subsc/iiicJ  to 
the  truth  of  his  assertions.' ' 


AND  ANECDOTES.  247 


ANECDOTES  OF  THE  REIGN  OF  LOUIS  XV. 


THE  first  event  which  made  any  impression  on  me  in  my 
earliest  childhood,  was  the  attempt  of  Damiens  to  assassinate 
Louis  XV.  This  occurrence  struck  me  so  forcibly,  that  the 
most  minute  details  relating  to  the  confusion  and  grief  which 
prevailed  at  Versailles  on  that  day,  seem  as  completely  present 
to  my  imagination,  as  the  most  recent  events.  I  had  dined 
with  my  father  and  mother,  in  company  with  one  of  their  friends. 
The  drawing-room  was  lighted  up  with  a  number  of  tapers,  and 
four  card  tables  were  already  occupied,  when  a  friend  of  the 
gentleman  of  the  house  came  in  with  a  pale  and  terrified  coun- 
tenance, and  said,  in  a  voice  scarcely  audible,  "  I  bring  you 
terrible  news.  The  King  has  been  assassinated  !"  Two  ladies 
in  company  instantly  fainted ;  a  brigadier  of  the  body-guards 
threw  down  his  cards,  and  cried  out,  "I  do  not  wonder  at  it;  it 
is  those  rascally  Jesuits." — "  What  are  you  saying,  brother," 
cried  a  lady,  flying  to  him ;  "  would  you  get  yourself  arrested  ?" 
— "Arrested!  for  what?  for  unmasking  those  wretches  who 
want  a  bigot  for  a  King  ?"  My  father  came  in :  he  recommended 
circumspection,  saying  that  the  blow  was  not  mortal,  and  that 
all  meetings  ought  to  be  suspended  at  so  critical  a  moment.  He 
had  brought  a  chaise  for  my  mother,  who  placed  me  on  her 
knees.  We  lived  in  the  avenue  of  Paris,  and  throughout  our 
drive  I  heard  incessant  cries  and  sobs  from  the  foot-paths.  At 
last  I  saw  a  man  arrested ;  he  was  an  usher  of  the  King's  cham- 
ber, who  had  gone  mad,  and  was  crying  out,  "  Yes,  I  know  them, 
the  wretches,  the  villains  I"  Our  chaise  was  stopped  by  this 
bustle;  my  mother  recognised  the  unfortunate  man  who  had 
been  seized ;  she  named  him  to  the  marshalsea  trooper  who  had 
stopped  him.  This  faithful  servant  was  merely  conducted  to 

22* 


248  RECOLLECTIONS,  SKETCHES, 

the  gendarmes'  Tiotel,  which  was  then  in  the  avenue.  In  times 
of  public  calamities,  or  national  events,  the  slightest  acts  of 
imprudence  may  be  fatal.  When  the  people  take  part  in  an 
opinion  or  occurrence,  we  ought  to  avoid  coming  in  contact  with 
them,  and  even  alarming  them.  Informations  are  no  longer  the 
result  of  an  organized  police,  and  punishments  cease  to  emanate 
from  impartial  justice.  At  the  period  of  which  I  am  speak- 
ing, the  love  of  the  sovereign  was  a  sort  of  religion,  and  this 
attempt  against  the  life  of  Louis  XV.  brought  on  a  multitude 
of  groundless  arrests.*  M.  de  la  Serre,  then  governor  of  the 
Invalides,  his  wife,  his  daughter,  and  some  of  his  domestics, 
were  taken  up,  because  Mademoiselle  de  la  Serre,  who  was  that 
very  day  come  from  her  convent  to  pass  the  holiday  of  the 
King's  birth-day  with  her  family,  said,  in  her  father's  drawing- 
room,  on  hearing  this  news  from  Versailles,  "  That  it  is  not  to 

be  wondered  at ;  I  have  often  heard  Mother  N say,  that  it 

would  certainly  happen,  because  the   King  is  not  sufficiently 

attached  to  religion."     Mother  N ,  the  director,  and  several 

of  the  nuns  of  this  convent,  were  interrogated  by  the  lieutenant 
of  police.  The  public  animosity  against  the  Jesuits,  kept  up  by 
the  partisans  of  Port  Royal  and  the  adepts  of  the  new  philosophy, 
did  not  conceal  the  suspicions  which  they  directed  against  the 
Jesuits  ;  and,  although  there  was  not  the  slightest  proof  against 
that  order,  the  attempt  to  assassinate  the  King  was  certainly 
made  use  of  against  it,  a  few  years  afterwards,  by  the  party 
which  effected  the  destruction  of  the  company  of  Jesus.  The 
wretch  Damiens  avenged  himself  on  several  persons  whom  he 
had  served  in  several  provinces,  by  getting  them  arrested ;  and 
when  they  were  confronted  with  him,  he  said  to  some  of  them, 
"  It  was  out  of  revenge  to  your  ill-treatment  of  me,  that  I  put 

*  At  this  period  Louis  XV.  "was  still  beloved.  In  the  Historical 
Illustrations  (letter  V)  will  be  found  a  notice  relative  to  this  attempt 
to  assassinate  the  King,  together  with  some  curious  facts  related  by 
Madame  de  Hausset,  on  the  momentary  disgrace  of  Madame  de  Pompa- 
dour, and  her  subsequent  triumph  on  the  King's  recovery. 

Notf  by  the  Editor. 


AND  ANECDOTES.  249 

you  into  this  fright."  To  some  women,  he  said,  "  That  he  had 
amused  himself  in  his  prison,  with  the  thoughts  of  the  terror 
they  would  feel."  This  monster  confessed,  that  he  had  murdered 
the  virtuous  La  Bourdonnaye,  by  giving  him  a  lavement  of  aqua- 
fortis. He  had  also  committed  several  other  crimes.  People 
are  too  careless  about  those  whom  they  take  into  their  service ; 
such  examples  prove,  that  too  many  precautions  cannot  be  used 
in  ascertaining  the  character  of  strangers,  before  we  admit  them 
into  our  houses. 


I  have  often  heard  M.  de  Landsmath,  equerry  and  master  of 
the  hounds,  who  used  to  come  frequently  to  my  father's,  say, 
that,  on  the  news  of  the  attempt  on  the  King's  life,  he  instantly 
repaired  to  his  majesty.  I  cannot  repeat  the  coarse  expressions 
he  made  use  of  to  encourage  his  majesty :  but  his  account  of 
the  affair,  long  afterwards,  used  to  entertain  the  parties  in  which 
he  was  prevailed  on  to  relate  it,  when  all  apprehensions  respect- 
ing the  consequences  of  this  event  had  subsided.  This  M.  de 
Landsmath  was  an  old  soldier,  who  had  given  proofs  of  an 
extraordinary  valour :  nothing  had  been  able  to  soften  his  man- 
ners or  subdue  his  excessive  bluntness  to  the  respectful  customs 
of  the  court.  The  King  was  very  fond  of  him.  He  possessed 
prodigious  strength,  and  had  often  contended  with  Marshal 
Saxe,  renowned  for  his  great  bodily  power,  in  trying  the  strength 
of  their  respective  wrists.*  M.  de  Landsmath  had  a  thundering 
voice.  When  he  came  into  the  King's  apartment,  he  found  the 
dauphin,  and  inesdames,  his  majesty's  daughters,  there;  the 
princesses,  in  tears,  surrounded  the  King's  bed.  "Send  out  all 
these  weeping  ladies,  Sire,"  said  the  old  equerry;  "I  want  to 
speak  to  you  alone."  The  King  made  a  sign  to  the  princesses 

*  One  day,  when  the  King  was  hunting  in  the  forest  of  St.  Germain, 
Landsmath,  riding  before  him,  wanted  a  cart,  filled  with  mud  from  a 
pond  that  had  just  been  cleansed,  to  draw  up  out  of  the  way.  The  carter 
resisted,  and  even  answered  with  impertinence.  Landsmath,  without 
dismounting,  seized  him  by  the  breast  of  his  coat,  lifted  him  up,  and 
threw  him  into  his  cart. — Note  by  Madame  Campan. 


5J-50  RECOLLECTIONS,  SKETCHES, 

to  withdraw.  "Come,"  said  Landsmath,  "your  wound  is  no- 
thing; you  had  plenty  of  waistcoats  and  flannel  on."  Then 
uncovering  his  breast,  "  Look  here,"  said  he,  showing  four  or 
five  great  scars ;  "  these  are  something  like  wounds  :  I  received 
them  thirty  years  ago ;  now  cough  as  loud  as  you  can."  The 
King  did  so.  Then  taking  up  a  vase  de  nuit,  he  desired  his 
majesty,  in  the  most  unceremonious  way,  to  make  use  of  it, 
which  he  did.  "  'Tis  nothing  at  all,"  said  Landsmath ;  "  you 
must  laugh  at  it ;  we  shall  hunt  a  stag  together  in  four  days." 
"  But  suppose  the  blade  was  poisoned,"  said  the  King.  "  Old 
grandam's  tales,"  replied  Landsmath ;  "  if  it  had  been  so,  the 
waistcoats  and  flannels  would  have  rubbed  the  poison  off."  The 
King  was  tranquillized,  and  passed  a  very  good  night. 


This  same  M.  Landsmath,  who,  by  his  military  and  familiar 
language,  thus  calmed  the  fears  of  Louis  XV.  on  the  day  of 
Damiens'  horrible  crime,  was  one  of  those  people,  who,  in  the 
most  haughty  courts,  often  tell  the  truth  bluntly.  It  is  remark- 
able, that  there  is  a  person  of  this  description  to  be  found  in 
almost  every  court,  who  seems  to  supply  the  place  of  the  ancient 
King's  jester,  and  to  claim  the  right  of  saying  whatever  he 
pleases. 

His  majesty  one  day  asked  M.  de  Landsmath,  how  old  he 
was  ?  He  was  aged,  and  by  no  means  fond  of  thinking  of  his 
age;  he  evaded  the  question.  A  fortnight  after,  Louis  XV. 
took  a  paper  out  of  his  pocket,  and  read  aloud,  "  On  such  a  day 
in  the  month  of  *  *  *,  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  eighty 
*  *  *,  was  baptized  by  me,  rector  of  *  *  *,  the  son  of  the  high 
and  mighty  lord,  &c."  "  What's  that  ?"  said  Landsmath,  angrily ; 
"  has  your  majesty  been  procuring  the  certificate  of  my  bap- 
tism ?"  "  There  it  is,  you  see,  Landsmath,"  said  the  King. 
"  Well,  Sire,  hide  it  as  fast  as  you  can ;  a  prince  intrusted  with 
the  happiness  of  twenty-five  millions  of  men,  ought  not  to  hurt 
the  feelings  of  one  individual  at  pleasure." 

The  King  learned  that  Landsmath  had  lost  his  confessor,  a 
missionary  priest  of  the  parish  of  Notre  Dame;  it  was  the 


AND  ANECDOTES.  251 

custom  of  the  lazarists  to  expose  their  dead,  with  the  face  un- 
covered. Louis  XV.  wished  to  try  his  equerry's  firmness. 
"  You  have  lost  your  confessor,  I  hear/'  said  the  King.  "  Yes, 
Sire." — "  He  will  be  exposed  with  his  face  bare  ?" — "  Such  is 
the  custom." — "I  command  you  to  go  and  see  him." — "Sire, 
my  confessor  was  my  friend ;  it  would  be  very  painful  to  me." 
• — "No  matter;  I  command  you." — "Are  you  really  in  earnest, 
Sire?" — "Quite  so."— "It  would  be  the  first  time  in  my  life 
that  I  had  disobeyed  my  sovereign's  order.  I  will  go."  The 
next  day,  the  King,  at  his  levee,  as  soon  as  he  perceived  Lands- 
math,  said  :  "  Have  you  done  as  I  desired  you,  Landsmath  ?" 
"  Undoubtedly,  Sire." — "  Well,  what  did  you  see  ?" — "  Faith, 
I  saw  that  your  majesty  and  I  are  no  great  things  !"* 

At  the  death  of  Queen  Maria  Leckzinska,  M.  Campan,  who 
was  afterwards  secretary  of  the  closet  to  Marie  Antoinette,  and 
at  that  time  an  officer  of  the  chamber,  having  performed  several 
confidential  duties  at  the  time  of  that  Queen's  decease,  the  King 
asked  Madame  Adelaide,  how  he  should  reward  him.  She  re- 
quested him  to  create  an  office  in  his  household,  of  master  of  the 
wardrobe,  with  a  salary  of  a  thousand  crowns,  for  M.  Campan. 
"  I  will  do  so,"  said  the  King ;  "  it  will  be  an  honourable  title ; 
but  tell  Campan  not  to  add  a  single  crown  to  his  expenses,  for 
you  will  see  they  will  never  pay  him." 


*  "  The  King  often  talked  about  death,  burials,  and  cemeteries," 
says  Madame  de  Hausset:  "nobody  could  be  more  melancholy  by  na- 
ture. Madame  de  Pompadour  has  often  told  me^that  he  felt  a  painful 
sensation  whenever  he  was  forced  to  laugh,  and  that  he  often  requested 
her  to  put  an  end  to  a  diverting  story.  He  smiled,  and  that  was  all. 
He  had,  in  general,  the  most  gloomy  ideas  on  all  events.  When  a  new 
minister  came  into  office,  the  King  would  say,  '  He  spread  out  his  goods, 
like  the  rest,  and  promised  the  finest  things  in  the  world,  none  of  which 
will  ever  happen.  He  does  not  know  how  the  land  lies  :  he  will  see.' 
"When  schemes  for  increasing  the  naval  force  were  proposed  to  him,  he 
used  to  say,  '  I  have  heard  it  talked  of  continually,  for  the  last  twenty 
years ;  France  will  never  have  a  navy,  I  believe.'  I  had  this  from  M. 
de  Marigny." — Note  by  the  Editor. 


252  RECOLLECTIONS,  SKETCHES, 

The  manner  in  which  Mademoiselle  de  Romans,  mistress  to 
Louis  XV.  and  mother  of  the  Abbe  Bourbon,  was  presented  to 
him,  deserves,  I  think,  to  be  related.  The  King  had  gone,  with 
a  grand  cavalcade,  to  Paris,  to  hold  a  bed  of  justice.  As  he 
passed  the  terrace  of  the  Tuileries,  he  observed  a  chevalier  de 
St.  Louis,  dressed  in  a  faded  lustring  coat,  and  a  woman  of  a 
pretty  good  figure,  holding  on  the  parapet  of  the  terrace  a  young 
girl  strikingly  beautiful,  much  adorned,  and  dressed  in  a  rose- 
coloured  taffety  frock.  The  King's  notice  was  involuntarily 
attracted  by  the  marked  manner  in  which  he  was  pointed  out  to 
the  girl.  On  returning  to  Versailles,  he  called  Le  Bel,  the 
minister  and  confidant  of  his  secret  pleasures,  and  ordered  him  to 
seek  in  Paris  a  young  female  about  twelve  or  thirteen  ye^s  of 
age,  describing  her  as  I  have  just  done.  Le  Bel  assured  him  he 
saw  no  probability  of  the  success  of  such  a  commission.  "Par- 
don me,"  said  Louis  XV.  "  this  family  must  live  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  the  Tuileries,  on  the  side  of  the  faubourg  Saint 
Honore",  or  at  the  entrance  of  the  faubourg  St.  Germain.  These 
people  certainly  go  on  foot ;  they  did  not  make  the  girl,  of  whom 
they  seemed  so  fond,  cross  all  Paris.  They  are  poor ;  the  clothes 
of  the  child  were  so  new,  that  I  have  no  doubt  they  were  made 
for  the  very  day  I  was  to  go  to  Paris.  She  will  wear  that  dress 
all  the  summer ;  they  will  walk  in  the  Tuileries  on  Sundays 
and  holidays.  Apply  to  the  man  who  sells  lemonade  at  the 
terrace  of  the  Feuillans  j  children  take  refreshment  there ;  you 
will  discover  her  by  these  means." 

Le  Bel  fulfilled  his  master's  orders ;  and  within  a  month  dis- 
covered the  dwelling  of  the  girl ;  he  found  that  Louis  XV.  was 
not  in  the  least  mistaken  with  respect  to  the  intentions  which  he 
supposed  to  exist.  All  conditions  were  easily  agreed  on ;  the 
King  contributed,  by  considerable  presents,  to  the  education  of 
Mademoiselle  de  Romans,  for  the  space  of  two  years.  She  was 
kept  totally  ignorant  of  her  future  destiny ;  and,  when  she  had 
completed  her  fifteenth  year,  she  was  taken  to  Versailles,  on 
pretence  of  going  to  see  the  palace.  Between  four  and  five 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  she  was  conducted  into  the  mirror  gal- 


AND  ANECDOTES.  253 

lery.  All  the  grand  apartments  were  usually  deserted  at  that 
hour.  Le  Bel,  who  waited  for  them,  opened  the  glass  door 
which  led  from  the  gallery  into  the  King's  closet,  and  invited 
Mademoiselle  de  Romans  to  go  in  and  examine  its  beauties. 
Encouraged  by  the  sight  of  a  man  whom  she  knew,  and  excited 
by  the  curiosity  so  excusable  at  her  age,  she  eagerly  accepted 
the  offer,  but  insisted  on  Le  Bel's  procuring  the  same  pleasure 
for  her  parents.  He  assured  her  that  it  was  impossible ;  that 
they  were  going  to  sit  down  in  one  of  the  windows  of  the  gal- 
lery and  wait  for  her,  and  that,  when  she  had  seen  the  inner 
apartments,  he  would  bring  her  back  to  them.  She  consented ; 
the  glass  door  closed  on  her.  Le  Bel  showed  her  the  chamber, 
the  council  room,  and  talked  with  enthusiasm  of  the  monarch 
who  possessed  the  magnificence  with  which  she  was  surrounded  ; 
and,  at  length,  conducted  her  to  the  private  apartments,  where 
Mademoiselle  de  Romans  found  the  King  himself,  awaiting  her 
arrival  with  all  the  impatience  and  eagerness  of  a  prince,  who 
had  been  two  years  engaged  in  bringing  about  the  moment  of 
this  interview. 

What  painful  reflections  are  excited  by  all  this  immorality ! 
the  art  with  which  this  intrigue  had  been  carried  on,  and  the 
genuine  innocence  of  the  youthful  De  Romans,  were  doubtless 
the  motives  of  the  King's  particular  attachment  to  this  mistress. 
She  was  the  only  one  who  prevailed  on  him  to  allow  her  son  to 
bear  the  name  of  Bourbon.  At  the  moment  of  his  birth,  she 
received  a  note  in  the  King's  handwriting,  containing  the 
following  words :  "  The  rector  of  Chaillot,  when  he  baptizes  the 
child  of  Mademoiselle  de  Romans,  will  give  him  the  following 
names :  Louis  N.  de  Bourbon."  A  few  years  afterwards,  the 
King,  being  dissatisfied  at  the  importance  which  Mademoiselle 
de  Romans  assumed,  on  account  of  her  good  fortune  in  having 
given  birth  to  an  acknowledged  son,  and  seeing,  by  the  splendid 
way  in  which  she  was  bringing  him  up,  that  she  entertained  the 
idea  of  causing  him  to  be  legitimatized,  had  him  taken  out  of 
his  mother's  hand.  This  commission  was  executed  with  great 
severity.  Louis  XV.  had  vowed  never  to  legitimatize  a  natural 


254  RECOLLECTIONS,  SKETCHES, 

child ;  the  great  number  of  princes  of  this  description  which 
Louis  XIV.  had  left,  was  burthensome  to  the  state,  and  made 
this  determination  of  Louis  XV.  truly  laudable.  The  Abbe" 
Bourbon  was  very  handsome,  and  exactly  resembled  his  father ; 
he  was  much  beloved  by  the  princesses,  the  King's  daughters ; 
and  his  ecclesiastical  elevation  would  have  been  carried  by  Louis 
XV.  to  the  highest  degree.  A  cardinal's  hat  was  intended  for 
him,  as  well  as  the  abbey  of  St.  Germain  des  Pr6s  and  the 
bishopric  of  Bayeux.  Without  being  considered  one  of  the 
princes  of  the  blood,  he  would  have  enjoyed  a  most  happy  lot. 
He  died  at  Rome,  of  the  confluent  small-pox ;  he  was  generally 
regretted  there;  but  the  unfortunate  events  by  which  his  family 
have  since  been  afflicted,  afford  reason  to  regard  his  death  as 
a  merciful  dispensation  of  providence.  Mademoiselle  de  Romans 
married  a  gentleman  named  Cavanac ;  the  King  was  displeased 
at  it,  and  she  was  universally  blamed  for  having,  in  some  degree, 
abandoned,  by  this  alliance,  the  plain  title  of  mother  of  the 
Abbe  de  Bourbon.* 

*  This  anecdote  is  calculated  to  excite  mournful  reflections ;  but  its 
impression  is  heightened  by  the  fact,  that  many  similar  adventures 
took  place.  In  the  Historical  Illustrations  (letter  W),  will  be  found 
two  anecdotes,  the  one  related  by  Soulavie,  the  other  by  Madame  de 
Hausset,  which,  although  the  names  of  the  parties  differ,  are  but  too 
similar  to  this  of  Mademoiselle  de  Romans. 

The  following  article,  written  with  extraordinary  impartiality  by  M. 
de  Lacretelle,  leaves  no  possible  doubt  as  to  the  origin  and  extent  of 
these  scandalous  practices  : — 

"  Louis,  satiated  with  the  conquests  which  the  court  offered  him,  was 
led,  by  a  depraved  imagination,  to  form  an  establishment  for  his  plea- 
sures, of  such  an  infamous  description,  that  after  having  depicted  the 
debaucheries  of  the  regency,  it  is  difficult  to  find  terms  appropriate  to 
an  excess  of  this  kind.  Several  elegant  houses,  built  in  an  enclosure 
called  the  Parc-aux-ccrfs,  were  used  for  the  reception  of  women,  who 
there  awaited  the  pleasure  of  their  master.  Hither  -were  brought  young 
girls,  sold  by  their  parents,  and  sometimes  forced  from  them.  They 
left  this  place  loaded  with  gifts,  but  almost  certain  of  never  more  behold- 
ing the  King  who  had  dishonoured  them,  even  when  they  bore  with 
them  a  pledge  of  his  base  passion.  Hence  corruption  found  its  way 


AND  ANECDOTES.  255 

The  monotonous  habits  of  royal  greatness  too  frequently  in- 
spire princes  with  the  desire  of  procuring  for  themselves  the 
enjoyments  of  private  individuals;  and  then  they  vainly  flatter 
themselves  with  the  hope  of  remaining  concealed  in  mysterious 
obscurity ;  they  ought  to  be  warned  of  these  transitory  errors, 
and  accustomed  to  support  the  tediousness  of  greatness,  as  well 
as  to  enjoy  its  extensive  advantages,  which  they  well  know  how 
to  do.  Louis  XV.,  by  his  noble  carriage,  and  the  mild  yet 
majestic  expression  of  his  features,  was  perfectly  worthy  to 
succeed  to  Louis  the  Great.  But  he  too  frequently  indulged  in 
secret  pleasures,  which  at  last  were  sure  to  become  known.  During 
several  winters,  he  was  passionately  fond  of  candles'  end  balls, 
as  he  called  those  parties  amongst  the  very  lowest  classes  of 
society.  He  got  intelligence  of  the  pic-nics  given  by  little 
dealers,  milliners,  and  seamstresses  of  Versailles,  whither  he 
repaired  in  a  black  domino,  and  masked,  accompanied  by  the 
captain  of  his  guards,  masked  like  himself.  His  great  delight 
was  to  go  en  brouette.*  Care  was  always  taken  to  give  notice 

into  the  most  peaceful  and  obscure  habitations.  It  was  skilfully  and 
patiently  fostered,  by  those  who  ministered  to  the  debaucheries  of  Louis: 
Whole  years  were  occupied  in  the  seduction  of  girls,  not  yet  of  marriage- 
able age,  and  in  undermining  the  principles  of  modesty  and  fidelity  in 
young  women.  Some  of  these  victims  were  so  unhappy  as  to  feel  a 
true  affection  and  sincere  attachment  to  the  King.  For  a  few  minutes 
he  would  seem  moved  by  the*ir  fidelity,  but  he  quickly  repressed  such 
feelings,  and  persuaded  himself  that  it  was  all  artifice,  intended  to 
govern  him ;  and  he  himself  became  the  informer  against  them  to  the  mar- 
chioness, who  soon  forced  her  rivals  back  into  their  original  obscurity. 
Mademoiselle  de  Romans  was  the  only  one  who  procured  her  son  to  be 
acknowledged  as  the  King's  child.  Madame  de  Pompadour  succeeded 
in  removing  a  rival,  who  seemed  to  have  made  so  profound  an  impres- 
sion on  the  King's  heart.  Mademoiselle  de  Romans  had  her  son  taken 
from  her  ;  he  was  brought  up  by  a  peasant,  and  his  mother  durst  not 
protest  against  this  outrage,  until  after  the  King's  death.  Louis  XVI. 
restored  her  her  son,  and  took  him  under  his  protection ;  he  was  after- 
wards known  under  the  name  of  the  Abbe"  de  Bourbon.  (History  of 
France,  by  Lacretelle,  vol.  iii.) — Note  by  the  Editor. 

*  In  a  kind  of  sedan  chair,  running  on  two  wheels,  and  drawn  by  a 
chairman. 
VOL.  I.— 23 


256  RECOLLECTIONS,  SKETCHES, 

to  five  or  six  officers  of  the  King's  or  Queen's  chamber  to  be 
there,  in  order  that  his  majesty  might  be  surrounded  by  safe 
people,  without  perceiving  it  or  finding  it  troublesome.  Proba- 
bly the  captain  of  the  guards  also  took  other  precautions  of  this 
description,  on  his  part.  My  father-in-law,  when  the  King  and 
he  were  both  young,  has  often  made  one  amongst  the  servants 
desired  to  attend  masked  at  these  parties,  assembled  in  some 
garret,  or  parlour  of  a  public  house.  In  those  times,  during 
the  carnival,  masked  companies  had  a  right  to  join  the  citizens' 
balls ;  it  was  sufficient  that  one  of  the  party  should  unmask  and 
name  himself. 

These  secret  excursions,  and  his  too  habitual  intercourse  with 
ladies  more  distinguished  for  their  personal  charms  than  the 
advantages  of  education,  were  no  doubt  the  means  by  which  the 
King  acquired  many  vulgar  expressions,  which  otherwise  would 
never  have  reached  his  ears. 

Yet  amidst  the  most  shameful  excesses,  the  King  sometimes 
resumed  suddenly  the  dignity  of  his  rank,  in  a  very  noble  man- 
ner. The  familiar  courtiers  of  Louis  XV.  had  one  day  abandoned 
themselves  to  the  unrestrained  gayety  of  a  supper,  after  returning 
from  the  chase.  Each  boasted  and  described  the  beauty  of  his 
mistress.  Some  of  them  amused  themselves  with  giving  a  par- 
ticular account  of  their  wife's  personal  defects,  and  in  claiming 
extraordinary  merit  for  their  performance  of  marital  duties.  An 
imprudent  word,  addressed  to  Louis  XV.,  and  applicable  only 
to  the  Queen,  instantly  dispelled  all  the  mirth  of  the  entertain- 
ment. The  King  assumed  his  regal  air,  and,  knocking  with  his 
knife  on  the  table  twice  or  thrice ;  "  Gentlemen,"  said  he,  "  here 
is  the  King."* 

Three  young  men  of  the  college  of  St.  Germain,  who  had  just 

*  No  anecdote  could  more  completely  expose  the  excessive  corruption 
of  the  times,  than  this  shameful  conduct  of  married  men  ;  although  that 
of  their  wives  was  probably  no  better.  According  to  facts  mentioned 
by  Soulavie,  there  were  women  audacious  enough  to  demand  evidence  of 
their  own  infamy,  in  order  to  effect  a  separation  from  their  husbands. 

Note  by  the  Editor. 


AND  ANECDOTES.  257 

completed  their  course  of  studies,  knowing  no  person  about  the 
court, /and  having  heard  that  strangers  were  always  well  treated 
there,  resolved  to  dress  themselves  completely  in  the  Armenian 
costume,  and,  thus  clad,  to  present  themselves  to  see  the  grand 
ceremony  of  the  reception  of  several  knights  of  the  order  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  The  stratagem  met  with  a%  the  success  with  which 
they  had  flattered  themselves.  While  the  procession  was  passing 
through  the  long  mirror  gallery,  the  Swiss  of  the  apartments 
placed  them  in  the  first  row  of  spectators,  recommending  every 
one  to  pay  all  possible  attention  to  the  strangers.  The  latter, 
however,  were  imprudent  enough  to  enter  the  bull's  eye,  where 
were  Messieurs  Cardonne  and  Ruffin,  interpreters  of  oriental 
languages,  and  the  first  clerk  of  the  consul's  department,  whose 
business  it  was  to  attend  to  everything  which  related  to  the 
natives  of  the  east,  who  were  in  France.  The  three  scholars 
were  immediately  surrounded  and  questioned  by  these  gentlemen ; 
at  first  in  modern  Greek.  Without  being  disconcerted,  they 
made  signs  that  they  did  not  understand  it.  They  were  then 
addressed  in  Turkish  and  Arabic :  at  length,  one  of  the  inter- 
preters, losing  all  patience,  exclaimed  :  "  Gentlemen,  you  cer- 
tainly must  understand  some  of  the  languages  in  which  you 
have  been  addressed :  what  country  can  you  possibly  come  from, 
then  ?"  "  From  St.  Germain-en-Laye,  Sir,"  replied  the  boldest 
amongst  them;  "  this  is  the  first  time  you  have  put  the  question 
to  us  in  French."  They  then  confessed  the  motive  of  their  dis- 
guise ;  the  eldest  of  them  was  not  more  than  eighteen  years  of 
age.  Louis  XV.  was  informed  of  the  affair.  He  laughed 
heartily ;  ordered  them  a  few  hours  confinement,  and  a  good 
admonition ;  after  which  they  were  to  be  set  at  liberty. 


Louis  XV.  liked  to  talk  about  death,  though  he  was  extremely 
apprehensive  of  it;  but  his  excellent  health  and  his  royal 
dignity  probably  made  him  imagine  himself  invulnerable :  he 
often  said  to  people,  who  had  very  bad  colds,  "  You've  a  church- 
yard cough  there."  Hunting  one  day  in  the  forest  of  Senard, 
in  a  year  in  which  bread  was  extremely  dear,  he  met  a  man  on 


258  RECOLLECTIONS,  SKETCHES, 

horseback,  carrying  a  coffin.  "  Whither  are  you  carrying  that 
coffin?"  "To  the  village  of  ***,"  answered  the  peasant.  "Is 
it  for  a  man  or  a  woman  ?" — "  For  a  man." — "  What  did  he  die 
of?" — "Hunger,"  bluntly  replied  the  villager.  The  King 
spurred  his  horse,  and  asked  no  more  questions. 


When  I  was  young,  I  often  met  with  Madame  de  Marchais, 
the  wife  of  the  King's  first  valet  de  chambre,  in  company.  She 
was  a  very  well  informed  woman,  and  had  enjoyed  the  favour  of 
Louis  XV.,  being  a  relation  of  Madame  de  Pompadour.  M.  de 
Marchais  was  rich  and  much  respected  ;  had  served  in  the  army, 
was  a  chevalier  de  St.  Louis,  and,  besides  being  principal  valet 
de  chambre,  was  governor  of  the  Louvre.  Madame  de  Marchais 
was  visited  by  the  whole  court ;  the  captains  of  the  guards  came 
there  constantly,  and  many  officers  of  the  body  guard.  Eminent 
officers  of  every  kind  used  to  get  introduced  to  her,  as  to  Ma- 
dame Greoffrin :  she  possessed  some  influence,  particularly  in 
soliciting  votes  for  the  candidates  for  the  academicians'  chairs. 
I  have  seen  all  the  celebrated  men  of  the  age  at  her  house ;  La 
Harpe,  Diderot,  D'Alembert,  Duclos,  Thomas,  &c.  She  was 
remarkable  for  her  wit  and  studious  display,  as  her  husband  for 
his  good-nature  and  simplicity ;  he  was  fond  of  spoiling  her  most 
innnocent  schemes  for  obtaining  admiration.  No  one  could 
describe  an  academical  speech,  a  sermon,  or  the  subject  of  a  new 
piece,  with  so  much  precision  and  grace,  as  Madame  de  Marchais. 
She  had,  also,  the  art  of  turning  the  conversation,  at  pleasure, 
upon  any  ancient  or  modern  work;  and  her  husband  often  de- 
lighted in  saying  to  those  who  sat  near  him  :  "  My  wife  read 
that  this  morning."  Count  Angiviller,  charmed  with  the  graces 
of  her  mind,  paid  assiduous  court  tether,  and,  when  she  became 
the  widow  of  M.  de  Marchais,  married  her.  She  was  still  living 
at  Versailles,  in  the  early  part  of  the  reign  of  Napoleon,  but 
never  left  her  bed.  She  had  retained  her  fondness  for  dress, 
and  although  unable  to  rise,  always  had  her  hair  dressed,  as 
people  used  to  wear  it  twenty  years  before  that  period.  She 
disguised  the  ravages  of  time,  under  a  prodigious  quantity  of 


AND  ANECDOTES.  259 

white  and  red  paint,  and  seemed,  by  the  feeble  light  which  pene- 
trated through  her  closed  blinds  and  drawn  curtains,  nothing 
but  a  kind  of  doll ;  but  a  doll  which  spoke  in  a  charming  and 
most  spirited  manner.  She  had  retained  a  very  beautiful  head 
of  hair  to  an  advanced  age ;  it  was  said  that  the  celebrated  Count 
St.  Germain,  who  had  appeared  at  the  court  of  Louis  XV.,  as 
one  of  the  most  famous  alchemists  of  the  day,  had  given  her  a 
liquor  which  preserved  the  hair,  and  prevented  it  from  turning 
white  through  age. 

Louis  XV.  had,  as  it  is  well  known,  adopted  the  whimsical 
system  of  separating  Louis  de  Bourbon  from  the  King  of  France. 
As  a  private  individual,  he  had  his  personal  fortune,  his  own 
distinct  financial  interests.  He  used  to  deal  as  an  individual,  in 
all  the  contracts  and  bargains  he  engaged  in ;  he  had  bought  a 
tolerably  handsome  house  at  the  Parc-aux-cerfs  at  Versailles, 
where  he  used  to  keep  one  of  those  obscure  mistresses,  whom 
the  indulgence  or  the  policy  of  Madame  de  Pompadour  tolerated, 
so  long  as  she  herself  retained  the  title  of  his  declared  mistress. 
After  the  King  had  relinquished  this  custom,  he  wished  to  sell 
the  house.  Sevin,  first  clerk  of  the  war  office,  offered  to  pur- 
chase it ;  the  notary  instructed  to  effect  the  sale,  informed  the 
King  of  his  proposals.  The  contract  for  the  sale  was  made  out 
between  Louis  de  Bourbon  and  Pierre  Sevin ;  and  the  King  sent 
word  to  the  purchaser,  to  bring  him  the  money  himself,  in  gold. 
The  first  clerk  collected  40,000  francs  in  louis  d'or,  and  being 
introduced  by  the  notary  of  the  King's  private  cabinet,  delivered 
the  purchase-money  of  the  house  into  his  majesty's  own  hands. 

Out  of  his  private  funds,  the  King  paid  the  household  ex- 
penses of  his  mistresses,  those  of  the  education  of  his  illegitimate 
daughters,  who  were  brought  up  in  convents  at  Paris,  and  their 
dowries  when  they  married. 


Men  of  the  most  dissolute  manners,  are  not,  on  that  account, 
insensible  to  virtue  in  women.  The  Countess  de  Perigord  was 
as  beautiful  as  virtuous.  During  some  excursions  she  made  to 

23* 


2CO  RECOLLECTIONS,  SKETCHES, 

Choisy,  whither  she  had  been  invited,  she  perceived  that  the 
King  took  great  notice  of  her.  Her  demeanour  of  chilling 
respect,  her  cautious  perseverance  in  shunning  all  serious  con- 
versation with  the  monarch,  were  insufficient  to  extinguish  this 
rising  flame ;  and  he  at  length  addressed  a  letter  to  her,  worded 
in  the  most  passionate  terms.  This  excellent  woman  instantly 
formed  her  resolution  :  honour  forbade  her  returning  the  King' s 
passion,  whilst  her  profound  respect  for  the  sovereign  made  her 
unwilling  to  disturb  his  tranquillity.  She,  therefore,  voluntarily 
banished  herself  to  an  estate  she  possessed,  called  Chalais,  near 
Barbezieux,  the  mansion  of  which  had  been  uninhabited  nearly 
a  century :  the  porter's  lodge  was  the  only  place  in  a  condition 
to  receive  her.  From  this  seat  she  wrote  to  his  majesty,  ex- 
plaining her  motives  for  leaving  court ;  and  she  remained  there 
several  years,  without  visiting  Paris.  Louis  XV.  was  speedily 
attracted  by  other  objects,  and  regained  the  composure  to  which 
Madame  de  Perigord  had  thought  it  her  duty  to  make  so  great 
a  sacrifice.  Some  years  afterwards  the  princesses'  lady  of  honour 
died  ;  many  great  families  solicited  the  place  :  the  King,  without 
answering  any  of  their  applications,  wrote  to  the  Countess  de 
Perigord.  "My  daughters  have  just  lost  their  lady  of  honour; 
this  place,  madame,  is  your  due,  no  less  on  account  of  your 
eminent  virtues,  than  of  the  illustrious  name  of  your  family." 


Count  d'Halville,  sprung  from  a  very  ancient  Swiss  house, 
commenced  his  career  at  Versailles,  in  the  humble  rank  of  ensign 
in  the  regiment  of  Swiss  guards.  His  name  and  distinguished 
qualities  gained  him  the  patronage  of  some  powerful  friends,  who, 
in  order  to  support  the  honour  of  the  ancient  name  he  bore,  by 
a  handsome  fortune,  obtained  for  him  in  marriage  the  daughter 
of  a  very  rich  financier,  named  M.  de  la  Garde.  The  offspring 
of  this  union  was  an  only  daughter,  who  married  Count  Ester- 
hazy.  Amongst  the  estates  which  belonged  to  Mademoiselle  de 
la  Garde,  was  the  Chateau  des  Trous,  situate  four  leagues  from 
Versailles,  where  the  Count  was  visited  by  many  people  attached 
to  the  court.  A  young  ensign  of  the  body  guards,  who  had  ob- 


AND  ANECDOTES.  261 

tained  that  rank  on  account  of  his  name,  and  of  the  favour  which 
his  family  enjoyed,  and  possessed  all  the  confidence  which  usually 
accompanies  unmerited  success,  but  of  which  the  progress  of 
time  fortunately  relieves  young  people,  was  one  day  taking  upon 
him  to  give  his  opinion  of  the  Swiss  nobility,  although  he  knew 
nothing  of  the  great  families  of  Switzerland.  Without  the  least 
delicacy  or  consideration  for  the  count,  his  host,  he  asserted 
boldly  that  there  were  no  ancient  families  in  Switzerland. 
"Excuse  me/'  said  the  count  very  coolly;  "there  are  several  of 
great  antiquity."  "Can  you  name  them,  sir?"  answered  the 
youth.  "Yes,"  said  M.  deHalville;  "for  instance,  there  is  my 
house,  and  that  of  Hapsburg,  which  now  reigns  in  Germany." 
"  Of  course  you  have  your  reasons  for  naming  your  own  family 
first?"  replied  the  imprudent  ensign. — "Yes,  sir,"  said  M.  de 
Halville,  sternly;  "because  the  house  of  Hapsburg  dates  from 
the  period  when  its  founder  was  page  to  my  ancestors.  Read 
history,  study  the  antiquities  of  nations  and  families ;  and,  in 
future,  be  more  circumspect  in  your  assertions." 


Weak  as  Louis  XV.  was,  the  parliaments  would  never  have 
obtained  his  consent  to  the  convocation  of  the  States-general.  I 
heard  an  anecdote  on  this  subject  from  two  officers  attached  to 
that  prince's  household.  It  was  at  the  period  when  the  remon- 
strances of  the  parliaments  and  the  refusals  to  register  the 
decrees  for  levying  the  taxes,  produced  alarm  with  respect  to  the 
state  of  the  finances.  This  became  the  subject  of  conversation 
one  evening  at  the  coucher  of  Louis  XY. ;  "  You  will  see,  Sire," 
said  a  courtier,  whose  office  placed  him  in  close  communication 
with  the  King,  "  that  all  this  will  make  it  absolutely  necessary 
to  assemble  the  States-general."  The  King,  roused  by  this 
speech  from  his  habitual  apathy,  seized  the  courtier  by  the  arm, 
and  said  to  him,  in  a  passion, — "  Never  repeat  those  words  :  I 
am  not  sanguinary ;  but  had  I  a  brother,  and  he  were  to  dare  to 
give  me  such  advice,  I  would  sacrifice  him,  within  twenty-four 
hours,  to  the  duration  of  the  monarchy,  and  the  tranquillity  of 
the  kingdom." 


Natural  causes  of  the  death  of  the  Dauphin,  the  father  of  Louis 
XVI.,  and  of  the  Dauphiness,  Princess  of  Saxony,  in  answer 
to  all  the  reports  spread  l>y  Soulavie,  about  poison  * 

Several  years  prior  to  his  death,  the  dauphin  had  a  confluent 
sinall-pcx,  which  endangered  his  life ;  and  after  his  convales- 
cence, he  was  long  troubled  with  a  malignant  ulcer  under  the 
nose.  He  was  injudiciously  advised  to  get  rid  of  it  by  the  use 
of  extract  of  lead,  which  proved  effectual;  but,  from  that  time, 
the  dauphin,  who  was  corpulent,  insensibly  grew  thin ;  and  a 
short,  dry  cough  evinced,  that  the  humour,  driven  in,  had  fallen 
on  the  lungs.  Some  persons  also  suspected  him  of  having  taken 
acids  in  too  great  a  quantity,  for  the  purpose  of  reducing  his 
bulk.  The  state  of  his  health  was  not,  however,  such  as  to 
excite  alarm,  at  the  time  of  the  camp  at  Compiegne,  in  July, 
1764.  The  dauphin  reviewed  the  troops,  and  exerted  much 
activity  in  the  performance  of  his  duties ;  it  was  even  observed, 
that  he  was  seeking  to  gain  the  attachment  of  the  army.  He 
presented  the  dauphiness  to  the  soldiers,  saying,  with  a  sim- 
plicity which  at  that  time  made  a  great  sensation,  "  My  children, 
here  is  my  wife."  Returning  late  on  horseback  to  Compiegne, 
he  found  himself  cold :  the  heat  of  the  day  had  been  excessive : 
the  prince's  clothes  had  been  wet  with  perspiration.  An  illness 

*  We  leave  the  title  of  this  piece  as  it  stands ;  but  it  is  proper  to  re- 
mark, that  the  reproach  here  applied  to  Soulavie,  is  not  perfectly  well 
founded.  He  has  only  done  that  -which  is  the  duty  of  every  impartial 
annalist.  He  has,  indeed,  stated  the  odious  accusations  -which  were 
made  against  the  Duke  de  Choiseul,  and  which  we  believe  to  be  un- 
founded ;  but  at  the  same  time,  he  brings  forward  testimony  in  defence 
of  the  memory  of  M.  de  Choiseul,  which  seems  to  us  sufficiently  pro- 
tected by  his  character.  The  Duke  de  Choiseul  disliked  the  dauphin; 
he  even  defied  him,  which  was  wrong.  His  violent  rage  was  undoubtedly 
reprehensible,  when  he  forgot  himself  so  far  as  to  say,  "  I  may  one  day 
be  condemned  to  the  misfortune  of  being  your  subject,  but  I  will  never 
be  your  slave."  But  there  is  a  wide  interval  between  this  audacious 
fury  of  the  moment,  and  the  blackest  of  crimes  :  an  interval  which  M.  de 
Choiseul  was  incapable  of  passing. 


AND  ANECDOTES.  263 

followed  this  accident:  the  prince  began  to  spit  blood.  Hia 
principal  physician  wished  to  have  him  bled;  the  consulting 
physicians  insisted  on  purgation,  and  their  advice  was  followed. 
The  pleurisy  being  ill-cured,  assumed  and  retained  all  the  symp- 
toms of  consumption ;  the  dauphin  languished  from  that  period 
until  December,  1765,  and  died  at  Fontainebleau,  where  the 
court,  on  account  of  his  condition,  had  prolonged  its  stay,  which 
usually  ended  on  the  2d  of  November. 

The  dauphiness,  his  widow,  was  excessively  afflicted;  but  the 
immoderate  despair  which  characterized  her  grief,  induced  many 
to  suspect  that  the  loss  of  the  crown  was  an  important  part  of 
the  calamity  she  lamented.  She  long  refused  to  eat  enough  to 
support  life;  she  encouraged  her  tears  to  flow,  by  placing  por- 
traits of  the  dauphin  in  every  retired  part  of  her  apartments. 
She  had  him  represented  pale,  and  ready  to  expire,  in  a  picture 
placed  at  the  foot  of  her  bed,  under  draperies  of  gray  cloth,  with 
which  the  chambers  of  the  princesses  were  always  hung  in  court 
mournings.  Their  grand  cabinet  was  hung  with  black  cloth, 
with  an  alcove,  a  canopy,  and  a  throne,  on  which  they  received 
compliments  of  condolence  after  the  first  period  of  the  deep 
mourning.  The  dauphiness,  some  months  before  the  end  of  her 
life,  regretted  her  conduct  in  abridging  it ;  but  it  was  too  late ; 
the  fatal  blow  had  been  struck.  It  may  also  be  presumed,  that 
living  with  a  consumptive  man  had  contributed  to  her  complaint. 
This  princess  had  no  opportunity  of  displaying  her  qualities ; 
living  in  a  court  in  which  she  was  eclipsed  by  the  King  and 
Queen,  the  only  characteristics  that  could  be  remarked  in  her, 
were  her  extreme  attachment  to  her  husband;  and  her  great  piety. 

The  dauphin  was  little  known,  and  his  character  has  been 
much  mistaken.  He  himself,  as  he  confessed  to  his  intimate 
friends,  sought  to  disguise  it.  He  one  day  asked  one  of  his 
most  familiar  servants,  "  What  do  they  say  in  Paris  of  that  great 
fool  of  a  dauphin  ?"  The  person  interrogated  seeming  confused, 
the  dauphin  urged  him  to  express  himself  sincerely,  saying, 
"  Speak  freely  :  that  is  positively  the  idea  which  I  wish  people 
to  form  of  me." 


264  RECOLLECTIONS,  SKETCHES, 

As  he  diod  of  a  disease  which  allows  the  last  moment  to  be 
anticipated  long  beforehand,  he  wrote  much,  and  transmitted 
his  affections  and  his  prejudices  to  his  son,  by  secret  notes.* 
This  was  really  what  prevented  the  Queen  from  recalling  M.  de 
Choiseul  at  the  death  of  Louis  XV.,  and  what  promoted  M.  de 
Muy,  the  intimate  friend  of  the  dauphin,  to  the  place  of  minister 
at  war.  The  destruction  of  the  Jesuits,  effected  by  M.  de  Choiseul, 
had  given  the  dauphin's  hatred  of  him  that  character  of  party  spirit, 
which  induced  him  to  transmit  it  to  his  son.  Had  he  ascended  the 
throne,  he  would  have  supported  the  Jesuits  and  priests  in  gene- 
ral, and  kept  down  the  philosophers.  Maria  Leckziuska,  the 
wife  of  Louis  XV.,  placed  her  highest  merit  in  abstaining  from 
public  affairs,  and  in  the  strict  observance  of  her  religious  duties; 
never  asking  for  anything  for  herself,  and  sending  all  she  pos- 
sessed to  the  poor.  Such  a  life  ought  to  secure  a  person  against 
all  danger  of  poison,  but  has  not  preserved  the  memory  of  this 
princess  from  that  venom  which  Soulavie  makes  the  Duke  de 
Choiseul  deal  around  him  indiscriminately. 


ANECDOTES  RELATIVE  TO  MARIA 
LECKZINSKA.f 


MARIA  LECKZINSKA,  wife  of  Louis  XV.  often  spoke  of  the 
situation,  even  below  mediocrity,  in  which  she  stood  at  the  time 
when  the  policy  of  the  court  of  Versailles  caused  the  marriage 

*  The  Historical  Illustrations  (letter  X)  contain  some  particulars  of 
the  disposition  and  manners  of  Louis  XVI.  in  his  youth. 

f  "  In  some  esteemed  Memoirs  of  the  Reign  of  Maria  Leckzinska,  it 
is  said,  that  she  was  to  have  been  married  to  the  Duke  de  Bourbon.  I 
know  not  whether  this  be  certain :  but  I  can  affirm  that  she  has  often 
conversed  with  Madame  Campan,  my  mother-in-law,  on  the  project  of 
her  marriage  with  the  Duke  d'Estre'es." — Note  by  Madame  Campan. 


AND  ANECDOTES.  266 

of  the  King  with  the  young  infanta  to  be  broken  off,  and  raised 
a  Polish  princess,  daughter  of  a  dethroned  monarch,  to  the  rank 
of  Queen  of  France.  Before  this  unhoped-for  event  changed  the 
destiny  of  this  virtuous  princess,  there  had  been  some  idea  of 
marrying  her  to  the  Duke  d'Estre'es;  and,  when  the  duchess 
of  that  name  came  to  pay  her  court  to  her  at  Versailles,  she  said 
to  those  who  surrounded  her,  "  I  might  have  been  in  that  lady's 
place  myself,  and  curtsying  to  the  Queen  of  France."  She 
used  to  relate,  that  the  King,  her  father,  informed  her  of  her 
elevation  in  a  manner  which  might  have  made  too  strong  an 
impression  on  her  mind;  that  he  had  taken  care,  to  avoid 
disturbing  her  tranquillity,  to  leave  her  in  total  ignorance  of  the 
first  negotiations  set  on  foot  relative  to  her  marriage ;  and  that 
when  all  was  definitively  arranged,  and  the  ambassador  arrived, 
her  father  went  to  her  apartment,  placed  an  arm-chair  for  her, 
had  her  set  in  it,  and  addressed  her  thus  :  "  Allow  me,  madame, 
to  enjoy  a  happiness  which  far  overbalances  all  I  have  suffered; 
I  wish  to  be  the  first  to  pay  my  respects  to  the  Queen  of 
France." 

Maria  Leckzinska  was  not  handsome ;  but  she  possessed  much 
intelligence,  an  expressive  countenance,  and  a  simplicity  of 
manners,  set  off  by  the  gracefulness  of  the  Polish  ladies.  She 
loved  the  King,  and  found  his  first  infidelities  very  grievous  to 
endure.  Nevertheless,  the  death  of  Madame  de  Chateauroux, 
whom  she -had  known  very  young,  and  who  had  even  been 
honoured  by  her  kindness,  made  a  painful  impression  on  her. 
This  good  Queen  still  suffered  from  the  bad  effects  of  an  early 
superstitious  education.  She  was  fearful  of  ghosts.  The  first 
night  after  she  heard  of  this  almost  sudden  death,  she  could  not 
sleep,  and  made  one  of  her  women  sit  up,  who  endeavoured  to 
calm  her  restlessness,  by  telling  her  stories,  which  she  would,  in 
such  cases,  call  for,  as  children  do  with  their  nurses.  This 
night,  nothing  could  overcome  her  wakefulness ;  her  femme  de 
chambre,  thinking  she  was  asleep,  was  leaving  her  bed  on  tip- 
toe; the  slightest  noise  on  the  floor  roused  the  Queen,  who 
cried,  "Whither  are  you  going?  Stay,  go  on  with  your  story." 


266  RECOLLECTIONS,  SKETCHES, 

As  it  was  past  two  in  the  morning,  this  woman,  whose  name  was 
Boirot,  and  who  was  somewhat  unceremonious,  said,  "What 
can  be  the  matter  with  your  majesty  to-night  ?  Are  you  feverish  ? 
Shall  I  call  up  the  physician  T'  "  Oh !  no,  no,  my  good  Boirot, 
I  am  not  ill ;  but  that  poor  Madame  de  Chateauroux, — if  she  were 
to  come  again  I"  "Jesus,  madame,"  cried  the  woman,  who  had  lost 
all  patience,  "  if  Madame  de  Chateauroux  should  come  again,  it 
certainly  will  not  be  your  majesty  that  she  will  look  for."  The 
Queen  burst  into  a  fit  of  laughter  at  this  observation ;  her  agita- 
tion subsided,  and  she  soon  fell  asleep. 

The  nomination  of  Madame  Le  Normand  d'Etioles,  Marchio- 
ness de  Pompadour,  to  the  place  of  lady  of  the  bedchamber  to 
the  Queen,  offended  the  dignity,  as  well  as  the  sensibility  of  this 
princess.  Nevertheless,  the  respectful  homage  paid  by  the 
marchioness,  the  interest  which  certain  great  personages,  who 
were  candidates  for  her  favour,  had  in  procuring  her  an  indulgent 
reception  from  her  majesty,  the  respect  of  Maria  Leckzinska  for 
all  the  King's  wishes,  all  conspired  to  secure  her  the  Queen's 
favourable  notice.  Madame  de  Pompadour's  brother  received 
letters  of  high  birth  from  his  majesty,  and  was  appointed 
superintendent  of  the  buildings  and  gardens.  He  often  presented 
to  her  majesty,  through  the  medium  of  his  sister,  the  rarest 
flowers,  pine-apples,  and  early  vegetables  from  the  gardens  of 
Trianon  and  Choisy.  One  day,  when  the  marchioness  came  in, 
at  the  Queen's,  carrying  a  large  basket  of  flowers,  which  she 
held  in  her  two  beautiful  arms,  without  gloves,  as  a  mark  of 
respect,  the  Queen  loudly  declared  her  admiration  of  her  beauty; 
and  seemed  as  if  she  wished  to  defend  the  King's  choice,  by 
praising  her  various  charms  in  detail,  in  a  manner  that  would 
have  been  as  suitable  to  a  production  of  the  fine  arts  as  to  a 
living  being.  After  applauding  the  complexion,  eyes,  and  fine 
arms  of  the  favourite,  with  that  haughty  condescension  which 
renders  approbation  more  offensive  than  flattering,  the  Queen, 
at  length,  requested  her  to  sing,  in  the  attitude  in  which  she 
stood,  being  desirous  of  hearing  the  voice  and  musical  talent  by 
which  the  King's  court  had  been  charmed  in  the  performances 


AND  ANECDOTES.  267 

of  the  private  apartments,  and  thus  to  combine  the  gratification 
of  the  ears  with  that  of  the 'eyes.  The  marchioness,  who  still 
held  her  enormous  basket,  was  perfectly  sensible  of  something 
offensive  in  this  request,  and  tried  to  excuse  herself  from  sing- 
ing. The  Queen  at  last  commanded  her;  she  then  exerted  her 
fine  voice  in  the  solo  of  Armida — "  At  length  lie  is  in  my  power." 
The  change  in  her  majesty's  countenance  was  so  obvious,  that 
the  ladies  present  at  this  scene  had  the  greatest  difficulty  to 
keep  theirs. 

The  Queen  received  visitors  with  much  grace  and  dignity ; 
but  it  is  very  common  with  the  great  to  reiterate  the  same  ques- 
tions ;  a  sterility  of  ideas  is  very  excusable  on  public  occasions, 
when  there  is  so  little,  to  say.  The  lady  of  an  ambassador,  how- 
ever, made  her  majesty  feel  that  she  did  not  choose  to  give  way 
to  her  forgetful  ness  in  matters  concerning  herself.  This  lady 
was  pregnant,  but  nevertheless  constantly  appeared  at  the 
Queen' P  drawing-rooms,  who  never  failed  to  ask  her  whether  she 
was  iu  the  state  alluded  to,  and  on  receiving  an  answer  in  the 
affirmative,  always  inquired  how  many  months  of  her  time  had 
elapsed.  At  length  the  lady,  weary  of  the  eternal  repetition  of 
the  same  question,  and  of  the  total  forgetfulness  which  betrayed 
the  insincerity  of  the  Queen  in  pretending  to  take  interest  in  her 
affairs,  replied  to  the  usual  inquiry,  "No,  madame."  This  an- 
swer instantly  recalled  to  her  majesty's  recollection,  those  which 
the  lady  had  so  often  given  before.  "  How,  madame,"  said  she, 
"  it  appears  to  me  that  you  have  several  times  answered  me  that 
you  were  so;  have  you  been  brought  to  bed?" — "No,  madame; 
but  I  was  apprehensive  of  fatiguing  your  majesty,  by  constantly 
repeating  the  same  thing."  This  lady  was,  from  that  day,  very 
coldly  received  by  Maria  Leckzinska,  and  had  her  majesty  pos- 
sessed more  influence,  the  ambassador  might  have  suffered  for 
his  wife's  indiscretion.  The  Queen  was  affable  and  modest ;  but 
the  more  thankful  she  was  in  her  heart  to  heaven,  for  having 
placed  her  on  the  first  throne  in  Europe,  the  more  unwilling  she 
was  to  be  reminded  of  her  elevation.  This  sentiment  induced 

VOL.  i. — 24 


268  EECOLLECTIONS,  SKETCHES, 

her  to  insist  on  the  observation  of  all  the  forms  of  respect  due 
to  royal  birth ;  whereas  in  other  princes,  the  consciousness  of 
that  birth  often  induces  them  to  disdain  the  ceremonies  of  eti- 
quette, and  to  prefer  habits  of  ease  and  simplicity.  There  was 
a  striking  contrast  in  this  respect,  between  Maria  Leckzinska 
and  Marie  Antoinette,  as  has  been  justly  and  generally  thought. 
The  latter  unfortunate  Queen  carried  her  disregard  of  everything 
belonging  to  the  strict  forms  of  etiquette  too  fur.*  One  day, 

*  Marie  Antoinette  has  been  so  often  reproached  for  having  derogated 
from  the  strictness  of  old  custom,  that  it  is  extremely  necessary  to 
answer  this  accusation,  once  for  all,  by  facts.  No  prince  was  evermore 
jealously  observant  of  the  laws  of  etiquette  than  Louis  XIV. ;  in  whose 
latter  years  the  prudery  of  Madame  de  Maintenon  rather  tended  to 
increase  than  to  weaken  this  inclination.  Let  those,  therefore,  who 
cannot  excuse  the  slightest  infraction  of  ceremony  in  Marie  Antoinette, 
compare  her  conduct  with  that  of  the  Duchess  of  Burgundy. 

"This  princess,"  says  the  Duchess  d'Orleans,  in  her  Memoirs,  "was 
often  entirely  alone  in  her  chateau,  unattended  by  any  of  her  people ; 
she  would  take  the  arm  of  one  of  the  young  ladies,  and  walk  out  with- 
out equerries,  lady  of  honour,  or  tire-woman.  At  Marly  and  Versailles, 
she  went  on  foot  without  a  corset ;  would  go  into  the  church,  and  sit 
down  by  the  femmes  de  chambre.  At  Madame  de  Maintenon's,  no 
distinction  of  rank  was  observed,  and  the  whole  company  seated  them- 
selves indiscriminately ;  she  contrived  this  purposely,  that  her  own  rank 
might  not  be  remarked.  At  Marly,  the  dauphiness  walked  in  the  garden 
all  night,  with  the  young  people,  until  three  or  four  in  the  morning. 
The  King  knew  nothing  of  these  nocturnal  excursions." 

Is  not  this  clear  and  positive  enough  ?  Whence  then  the  blame  so 
unjustly  thr«  wn  on  Marie  Antoinette,  whilst  a  profound  silence  is  main- 
tained respecting  the  imprudence,  to  say  no  worse,  of  the  Duchess  of 
Burgundy  ?  It  is  because  the  excessive  mildness  'of  Louis  XVI.  encou- 
raged audacity  and  calumny  amongst  the  courtiers,  whilst  under  Louis 
XIV.,  on  the  contrary,  the  most  prompt  chastisement  would  have  been 
the  lot  of  any  daring  individual  who  had  ventured  to  point  his  malignant 
slanders  at  a  personage  placed  near  the  throne.  The  Duchess  d'Orleans 
makes  this  sufficiently  evident.  "  Madame  de  Maintenon,"  she  adds, 
"  had  prohibited  the  Duchess  du  Lude  from  annoying  the  Duchess  of 
Burgundy,  that  she  might  not  put  her  in  an  ill-humour ;  because,  when 
out  of  temper,  the  dauphiness  could  not  divert  the  King.  She  had 
also  threatened,  with  her  eternal  anger,  whomsoever  should  dare  to 
accuse  the  dauphiness  to  his  majesty." — Note  by  the  Editor. 


AND  ANECDOTES.  269 

when  the  Marechale  de  Mouchy  was  teasing  her  with  questions 
relative  to  the  extent  to  which  she  would  allow  the  ladies  the 
option  of  taking  off  or  wearing  their  cloaks,  and  of  pinning  up 
the  lappets  of  their  caps,  or  letting  them  hang  down,  the  Queen 
replied  to  her,  in  my  presence :  "  Arrange  all  those  matters, 
madame,  just  as  you  please  j  but  do  not  imagine  that  a  Queen, 
born  Archduchess  of  Austria,  can  attach  that  importance  to 
them  which  might  be  felt  by  a  Polish  princess,  who  had 
become  Queen  of  France." 

The  Polish  princess,  in  truth,  never  forgave  the  slightest 
deviation  from  the  respect  due  to  her  person,  and  to  all 
belonging  to  her.  The  Duchess  of  *  *  *,  a  lady  of  her  bed- 
chamber, who  was  of  an  imperious  and  irritable  temper, 
often  drew  upon  herself  such  petty  slights,  as  are  constantly 
shown  towards  haughty  and  ill-natured  people,  by  the  servants 
of  princes,  when  they  can  justify  those  affronts  by  the  plea  of 
their  duty,  or  of  the  customs  of  the  court.  Etiquette,  or  indeed 
I  might  say,  a  sense  of  propriety,  prohibited  all  persons  from 
laying  things  belonging  to  them  on  the  seats  of  the  Queen's 
chamber.  At  Versailles,  one  had  to  cross  this  chamber  to  reach 
the  play-room.  The  Duchess  de  *  *  *  laid  her  cloak  on  one 
of  the  folding-stools,  which  stood  before  the  balustrade  of  the 
bed ;  the  usher  of  the  chamber,  whose  duty  it  was  to  attend  to 
whatever  occurred  in  this  room,  whilst  they  were  at  play,  saw 
this  cloak,  took  it  and  carried  it  into  the  footman's  antechamber. 
The  Queen  had  a  large  favourite  cat,  which  was  constantly  run- 
ning about  the  apartments.  This  satin  cloak,  lined  with  fur, 
appeared  very  convenient  to  the  cat,  who  took  possession  of  it 
accordingly.  Unfortunately,  he  left  very  unpleasant  marks  of  his 
preference,  which  remained  but  too  evident  on  the  white  satin 
of  the  pelisse,  in  spite  of  all  the  pains  that  were  taken  to  efface 
them,  before  it  was  given  to  the  duchess.  She  perceived  them, 
took  the  cloak  in  her  hand,  and  returned  in  a  violent  passion  to 
the  Queen's  chamber,  where  her  majesty  remained  surrounded 
by  almost  all  the  court :  "  Only  see,  madame,"  said  she,  "  the 
impertinence  of  your  people,  who  have  thrown  my  pelisse  on  a 


270  RECOLLECTIONS,  SKETCHES, 

bench  in  the  antechamber,  where  your  majesty's  cat  has  served 
it  in  this  manner."  The  Queen,  displeased  at  her  complaints 
and  familiar  expressions,  said  to  her,  with  the  coldest  look 
imaginable :  "  Know,  madam,  that  it  is  you,  not  I,  who  keep 
people;  I  have  officers  of  my  chamber,  who  have  purchased  the 
honour  of  serving  me,  and  are  persons  of  good-breeding  and 
education ;  they  know  the  dignity  which  ought  to  belong  to  a 
lady  of  the  bedchamber;  they  are  not  ignorant  that  you,  who 
have  been  chosen  from  amongst  the  first  ladies  of  the  kingdom, 
ought  to  be  accompanied  by  a  gentleman,  or  at  least  a  valet  de 
chambre  as  his  substitute,  to  receive  your  cloak;  and  that  had 
you  observed  the  forms  suitable  to  your  rank,  you  would  not 
have  been  exposed  to  the  mortification  of  seeing  your  things 
thrown  on  the  benches  of  the  antechamber." 


I  have  read  in  several  works  written  on  the  life  of  Queen 
Maria  Leckzinska,  that  she  possessed  great  talents.  Her  reli- 
gious, noble,  and  resigned  conduct,  and  the  refinement  and 
judiciousness  of  her  understanding,  sufficiently  prove  that  her 
august  father  had  promoted,  with  the  most  tender  care,  the 
developement  of  all  those  excellent  qualities,  with  which  heaven 
had  endowed  her. 

The  virtues  and  information  of  the  great,  are  always  evinced 
by  their  conduct;  their  accomplishments,  coming  within  the 
scope  of  flattery,  are  never  to  be  ascertained  by  any  authentic 
proofs,  and  those  who  have  lived  near  them,  may  be  excused 
for  some  degree  of  scepticism,  with  regard  to  their  attainments  of 
this  kind.  If  they  draw  or  paint,  there  is  always  an  able  artist 
present,  who,  if  he  does  not  absolutely  guide  the  pencil  with  his 
own  hand,  directs  it  by  his  advice;  he  sets  the  palette,  and 
mixes  the  colours,  on  which  the  tones  depend.  If  a  princess 
attempt  a  piece  of  embroidery  in  colours,  of  that  description 
which  ranks  amongst  the  productions  of  the  arts,  a  skilful  em- 
broideress  is  employed  to  undo  and  repair  whatever  has  been 
spoilt,  and  to  cover  the  neglected  tints  with  new  threads.  If  a 
princess  be  a  musician,  there  are  no  ears  that  will  discover  when 


AND  ANECDOTES.  271 

she  is  out  of  tune ;  at  least  there  is  no  tongue  that  will  tell  her 
so.  This  imperfection  in  the  accomplishments  of  the  great,  is 
but  a  slight  misfortune.  It  is  sufficiently  meritorious  in  them 
to  engage  in  such  pursuits,  even  with  indifferent  success,  because 
this  taste,  and  the  protection  it  extends,  produce  abundance  of 
talent  on  every  side.  The  Queen  delighted  in  the  art  of  paint- 
ing, and  imagined  she  herself  could  draw  and  paint;  she  had  a 
drawing-master,  who  passed  all  his  time  in  her  cabinet.  She 
undertook  to  paint  four  large  Chinese  pictures,  with  which  she 
wished  to  ornament  her  private  drawing-room,  which  was  richly 
furnished  with  rare  porcelain  and  the  finest  marbles.  This 
painter  was  intrusted  with  the  landscape,  and  background  of  the 
pictures ;  he  drew  the  figures  with  a  pencil,  the  faces  and  arms 
were  also  left  by  the  Queen  to  his  execution ;  she  reserved  to 
herself  nothing  but  the  draperies,  and  the  least  important  acces- 
sories. The  Queen  every  morning  filled  up  the  outline  marked 
out  for  her,  with  a  little  red  blue,  or  green  colour,  which  the 
master  prepared  on  the  palette,  and  even  filled  her  pencil  with, 
constantly  repeating,  "  Higher  up,  rnadarne — lower  down,  madame 
—  a  little  to  the  right — more  to  the  left." — After  an  hour's 
work,  the  time  for  hearing  mass,  or  some  other  family  or  pious 
duty,  would  interrupt  her  majesty;  and  the  painter,  putting  the 
shadows  into  the  draperies  she  had  painted,  softening  off  the 
colour,  where  she  had  laid  too  much,  &c.,  finished  the  small 
figures.  -When,  the  work  was  completed,  the  private  drawing- 
room  was  decorated  with  her  majesty's  work  :  and  the  firm  per- 
suasion of  this  good  Queen,  that  she  had  painted  it  herself,  was 
so  entire,  that  she  left  this  cabinet,  with  all  its  furniture  and 
paintings,  to  the  Countess  de  Noailles,  her  lady  of  honour.  She 
added  to  the  bequest,  "The  pictures  in  my  cabinet  being  my 
own  work,  I  hope  the  Countess  de  Noailles  will  preserve  them 
for  my  sake."  Madame  de  Noailles,  afterwards  Marechale  de 
Mouchy.  had  a  new  additional  pavilion  constructed  in  her  hotel 
in  the  faubourg  St.  Germain,  in  order  to  form  a  suitable  recep- 
tacle for  the  Queen's  legacy ;  and  had  the  following  inscription 
24* 


272  RECOLLECTIONS,  SKETCHES, 

placed  over  the  door,  in  letters  of  gold  :  "  The  innocent  false- 
hood of  a  good  princess." 


The  Queen  had  selected,  as  her  intimate  friends,  the  duke, 
the  duchess,  and  the  worthy  Cardinal  de  Luynes.  She  called 
them  her  good  folks  :  she  often  did  the  duchess  the  honour  to 
spend  the  evening  and  sup  with  her ;  the  president  Henauft  was 
the  charm  of  this  pious  and  virtuous  society.  This  magistrate 
combined  the  weighty  qualifications  of  his  functions  in  society, 
with  the  attainments  of  a  man  of  letters,  and  the  polish  of  a 
courtier.  The  Queen  one  day  surprised  the  duchess  writing  to 
the  president,  who  had  just  published  his  Chronological  Abridg- 
ment of  the  History  of  France ;  she  took  the  pen  from  Madame 
de  Luynes,  and  wrote  at  the  bottom  of  the  letter,  this  postscript : 
"  I  think  that  M.  de  Renault,  who  says  a  great  deal  in  few  words, 
cannot  be  very  partial  to  the  language  of  women,  who  use  a  vast 
number  of  words  to  say  very  little."  Instead  of  signing  this, 
she  added,  "  Guess  who."  The  president  answered  this  anony- 
mous epistle,  by  these  ingenious  lines  :* 

"  This  sentence,  written  by  a  heavenly  hand, 

Fills  with  perplexing  doubts  my  conscious  mind  : 
Presumptuous,  if  I  dare  to  understand ; 
Ungrateful,  if  I  fail  the  truth  to  find." 

One  evening,  the  Queen  having  entered  the  cabinet  of  the 
Duke  de  Luynes,  took  down  several  books  successively,  to  read 
the  titles ;  a  translation  of  Oyid's  Art  of  Love  having  fallen  into 
her  hands,  she  replaced  it  hastily,  exclaiming,  "  Oh,  fie  !" — 
"  How,  madame,"  said  the  president,  "  is  that  the  way  in  which 
your  majesty  treats  the  art  of  pleasing?"  —  "No,  Monsieur 
Renault,"  answered  the  Queen,  "  I  should  esteem  the  art  of 
pleasing;  it  is  the  art  of  seducing,  that  I  throw  from  me." 


*  Ces  mots,  traces  par  une  main  divine, 

Ne  peuvent  me  causer  que  trouble  et  qu'embatras : 
C'est  trop  oser,  si  mon  coeur  les  divine  ; 
C'est  etre  ingrat,  s'il  ne  les  divine  pas. 


AND  ANECDOTES.  273 

Madame  de  Civrac,  daughter  of  the  Duke  d'Aumont,  lady  of 
honour  to  the  princesses,  belonged  to  this  intimate  circle  of  the 
Queen's.  Her  virtues  and  amiable  character  procured  her  equal 
esteem  and  affection  in  that  connection,  and  in  her  family,  from 
which  a  premature  death  removed  her.  The  president  Henault 
paid  her  a  respectful  homage,  or  rather,  delighted  in  being  the 
medium  of  that  which  this  distinguished  circle  eagerly  rendered 
to  her  talents,  her  virtues,  and  her  sufferings.  Some  time  before 
the  death  of  Madame  de  Civrac,  she  was  ordered  to  try  the  mine- 
ral waters ;  she  left  Versailles  much  debilitated  and  in  very  bad 
health.  The  wish  to  amuse  her,  during  a  journey  which  re- 
moved her  to  a  distance  from  all  that  was  dear  to  her,  inspired 
the  president  with  the  idea  of  an  entertainment,  which  was  given 
to  her  at  every  place  she  stopped  to  rest  at.  Her  friends  set  out 
before  her,  in  order  to  be  a  few  posts  in  advance,  and  prepare 
their  disguises.  When  she  stopped  at  Bernis,  the  interesting 
traveller  found  a  group  of  lords  dressed  in  the  costume  of  ancient 
French  knights,  accompanied  by  the  best  musicians  of  the 
King's  chapel.  They  sang  Madame  de  Civrac  some  stanzas 
composed  by  the  president,  the  first  of  which  began  thus  :* 

Can  nought  your  cruel  flight  impede  ? 

Must  distant  climes  your  charms  adore? 
Why  thus  to  other  conquests  speed, 

And  leave  our  hearts,  enslaved  before  ? 

At  Nemours,  the  same  persons,  dressed  as  village  swains  and 
nymphs,  presented  her  with  a  rural  scene,  in  which  they  invited 
her  to  enjoy  the  simple  pleasures  of  the  country.  Elsewhere 
they  appeared  as  burgesses  and  their  wives,  with  the  bailly  and 
town  clerk ;  and  these  disguises,  continually  varied  and  enlivened 
by  the  amiable  ingenuity  of  the  president,  followed  Madame  de 
Civrac  as  far  as  the  watering-place  to  which  she  was  going.  I 

*  Quoi !  vous  partez  sans  que  rien  vous  arrete ! 
Vous  allez  plaire  en  de  nouveaux  climats ! 
Pourquoi  voler  de  conquete  en  conquete  ? 
Nos  coeurs  soumis  ne  suffisent-ils  pas  ? 


274          RECOLLECTIONS,  SKETCHES, 

have  read  this  ingenious  and  affecting  entertainment  when  I  was 
young  ;  I  know  not  whether  the  manuscript  has  been  preserved 
by  the  heirs  of  the  president  Henault.  The  candour  and  reli- 
gious simplicity  of  the  good  cardinal,  formed  a  striking  contrast 
to  the  gallant  and  agreeable  character  of  the  president;  and 
people  would  sometimes  divert  themselves  with  his  simplicity 
without  forgetting  the  respect  due  to  him.  One  of  these  in- 
stances, however,  produced  such  happy  results,  as  to  justify  the 
good  cardinal  in  a  singular  misapplication  of  his  well-meant 
piety.  Unwilling  to  forget  the  homilies  which  he  had  composed 
in  his  youth,  and  as  jealous  of  his  works  as  the  archbishop  of 
Granada,  who  discharged  Gil  Bias,  the  cardinal  used  to  rise  at 
five  in  the  morning,  every  Sunday,  during  the  residence  of  the 
court  at  Fontainebleau  (which  town  was  in  his  diocese),  and  go 
to  officiate  at  the  parish  church  ;  where,  mounting  the  pulpit,  he 
repeated  one  of  his  homilies,  all  of  which  had  been  composed  to 
exhort  people  of  rank  and  fashion  to  return  to  the  primitive 
simplicity  suitable  to  true  Christians.  A  few  hundred  peasants 
Bitting  on  their  sabots,  surrounded  by  the  baskets  in  which  they 
had  carried  vegetables  or  fruit  to  market,  listened  to  his  emi- 
nence without  understanding  a  single  word  of  what  he  was 
saying  to  them.  Some  people  belonging  to  the  court,  happening 
to  go  to  mass  previously  to  setting  out  for  Paris,  heard  his  emi- 
nence exclaiming,  with  truly  pastoral  vehemence,  "  My  dear 
brethren,  why  do  you  carry  luxury  even  to  the  foot  of  the  sanc- 
tuary ?  Wherefore  are  these  velvet  cushions,  these  bags  covered 
with  laces  and  fringe,  carried  before  you  into  the  temple  of  the 
Lord  ?  Abandon  these  sumptuous  and  magnificent  customs, 
which  you  ought  to  regard  as  a  cumbrous  appendage  to  your 
rank,  and  to  put  away  from  you  when  you  enter  the  presence  of 
your  divine  Saviour."  The  fashionable  hearers  of  these  homi- 
lies, mentioned  them  at  court;  every  one  wished  to  hear  them  : 
ladies  of  the  highest  rank  would  be  awakened  at  break  of  day, 
to  hear  the  cardinal  say  mass ;  and  thus  his  eminence  was 
speedily  surrounded  by  a  congregation  to  which  his  homilies 
were  perfectly  adapted. 


AND  ANECDOTES.  275 

Maria  Leckzinska  could  never  look  with  cordiality  on  the 
Princess  of  Saxony,  who  married  the  dauphin;  but  the  atten- 
tion, respect,  and  cautious  behaviour  of  the  dauphiness,  at  length 
made  her  majesty  forget  that  the  princess  was  daughter  to  a 
King,  who  wore  her  father's  crown.  Nevertheless,  when  the 
great  entertain  a  deep  resentment,  some  marks  of  it  will  occa- 
sionally be  observed  by  those  who  constantly  surround  them ; 
and,  although  the  Queen  now  saw  in  the  Princess  of  Saxony, 
only  a  wife  beloved  by  her  son,  and  the  mother  of  the  prince 
destined  to  succeed  to  the  throne ;  she  never  could  forget  that 
Augustus  wore  the  crown  of  Stanislaus.  One  day,  an  officer  of 
her  chamber  having  undertaken  to  ask  a  private  audience  of  her 
for  the  Saxon  minister,  and  the  Queen  being  unwilling  to  grant 
it;  he  persisted  in  his  request,  and  ventured  to  add,  that  he 
should  not  have  ventured  to  ask  this  favour  of  the  Queen,  had 
not  the  minister  been  the  ambassador  of  a  member  of  the 
family.  "  Say  of  an  enemy  of  the  family/'  replied  the  Queen, 
angrily;  "and  let  him  come  in." 


The  Queen  was  very  partial  to  the  Princess  de  Tallard,  govern- 
ess of  the  children  of  France.  This  lady,  having  attained  an 
advanced  age,  came  to  take  leave  of  her  majesty,  and  to  acquaint 
her  with  the  resolution  she  had  taken  to  quit  the  world,  and  to 
place  an  interval  between  her  life  and  dissolution.  The  Queen 
expressed  much  regret,  endeavoured  to  dissuade  her  from  this 
scheme,  and,  much  affected  at  the  thoughts  of  the  sacrifice  on 
which  the  princess  had  determined,  asked  her  whither  she  intended 
to  retire :  "  To  the  entresols  of  my  hotel,  madame,"  answered 
Madame  de  Tallard. 


Count  Tesse",  father  of  the  last  count  of  that  name,  who  left 
no  children,  was  first  equerry  to  Queen  Maria  Leckzinska.  She 
esteemed  his  virtues,  but  often  diverted  herself  at  the  expense 
of  his  simplicity.  One  day,  when  the  conversation  turned  on 
the  noble  military  actions  by  which  the  French  nobility  was 
distinguished,  the  Queen  said  to  the  count :  "  And  your  family, 


276  RECOLLECTIONS,  SKETCHES, 

M.  de  Tesse,  has  been  famous,  too,  in  the  field." — "  Ah  !  madame, 
we  have  all  been  killed  in  our  masters'  service  1" — "  How 
rejoiced  I  am,"  replied  the  Queen,  "  that  you  are  left  to  tell  me 
of  it." — The  son  of  this  worthy  M.  dc  Tesse"  was  married  to 
the  amiable  and  highly-gifted  daughter  of  the  Duke  d'Ayen, 
afterwards  Marshal  de  Noailles ;  he  was  excessively  fond  of  his 
daughter-in-law,  and  never  could  speak  of  her  without  emotion. 
The  Queen,  to  please  him,  often  talked  to  him  about  the  young 
countess ;  and  one  day  asked  him,  which  of  her  good  qualities 
seemed  to  him  most  conspicuous.  "  Her  gentleness,  madame ; 
her  gentleness,"  said  he,  with  tears  in  his  eyes  :  "  she  is  so 
mild,  so  soft — as  soft  as  a  good  carriage." — "  Well,"  said  her 
majesty,  "  that's  an  excellent  comparison  for  a  first  equerry." 


In  1730,  Queen  Maria  Leckzinska,  going  to  mass,  met  old 
Marshal  Villars,  leaning  on  a  wooden  crutch,  not  worth  fifteen- 
pence;  she  rallied  him  about  it;  and  the  marshal  told  her,  that 
he  had  used  it  ever  since  he  had  received  a  wound  which  obliged 
him  to  add  this  article  to  the  equipments  of  the  army.  Her 
majesty  smiling,  said,  she  thought  this  crutch  so  unworthy  of 
him,  that  she  hoped  to  induce  him  to  give  it  up.  On  returning 
home,  she  despatched  M.  Campan  to  Paris,  with  orders  to  pur- 
chase at  the  celebrated  Germain's,  the  handsomest  cane,  with  a 
gold  enamelled  crutch,  that  he  could  find,  and  carry  it  without 
delay  to  Marshal  Villars'  hotel,  and  present  it  to  him  from  her. 
He  was  announced  accordingly,  and  fulfilled  his  commission; 
the  marshal,  in  attending  him  to  the  door,  requested  him  to 
express  his  gratitude  to  the  Queen,  and  said,  that  he  had  nothing 
fit  to  ofler  to  an  oflicer  who  had  the  honour  to  belong  to  her 
majesty,  but  he  begged  him  to  accept  of  his  old  stick,  and  that 
his  grandchildren  would  probably  some  day  be  glad  to  possess 
the  cane  with  which  he  had  commanded  at  Marchiennes  and 
Denain.  The  known  character  of  Marshal  Villars  appears  in 
this  anecdote ;  but  he  was  not  mistaken  with  respect  to  the  esti- 
mation in  which  his  stick  would  be  held.  It  was  thenceforth 
kept  with  veneration  by  M.  Campan's  family.  On  the  10th  of 


AND  ANECDOTES.  277 

August,  1792,  a  house  which  I  occupied  on  the  Carrousel,  at 
the  entrance  of  the  court  of  the  Tuileries,  was  pillaged  and 
nearly  burnt  down  j  the  cane  of  Marshal  Villars  was  thrown  into 
the  Carrousel,  as  of  no  value,  and  picked  up  by  my  servant. 
Had  its  old  master  been  living  at  that  period,  we  should  not  have 
witnessed  such  a  deplorable  day. 


The  Queen's  father  died  in  consequence  of  being  severely 
burnt  by  his  fire-side.  Like  almost  all_old  men,  he  disliked 
those  attentions  which  imply  the  decay  of  the  faculties,  and  had 
ordered  a  valet  de  chambre,  who  wished  to  remain  near  him,  to 
withdraw  into  the  adjoining  room;  a  spark  set  fire  to  a  taffety 
dressing-gown,  wadded  with  cotton,  which  his  daughter  had  sent 
him.  The  poor  old  prince,  who  entertained  hopes  of  recovering 
from  the  frightful  state  into  which  this  accident  reduced  him, 
wished  to  inform  the  Queen  of  it  himself,  and  wrote  her  a  letter 
evincing  the  mild  gayety  of  his  disposition,  as  well  as  the  cou- 
rage of  his  soul,  in  which  he  said,  "  What  consoles  me  is,  the 
reflection  that  I  am  burning  for  you."  To  the  last  moment  of 
her  life,  Maria  Leckzinska  never  parted  with  this  letter,  and  her 
women  often  surprised  her  kissing  a  paper,  which  they  conclu- 
ded to  be  this  last  farewell  of  Stanislaus.* 

*  This  anecdote  does  honour  to  the  heart  and  filial  piety  of  Maria 
Leckzinska*  That  princess  was  equally  gifted  with  wit  and  sensibility, 
if  we  may  judge  by  many  expressions  which  fell  from  her  lips  in  con- 
versation, and  have  been  collected  by  the  Abbe  Proyart.  Many  of 
them  are  remarkable  for  the  depth  of  thought  they  display,  and  fre- 
quently for  an  ingenious  and  lively  turn  of  expression. 

"We  should  not  be  great,  but  for  the  little.  We  ought  to  be  so  only 
for  their  good."— (Page  240.) 

"  To  be  vain  of  one's  rank,  is  to  declare  one's  self  beneath  it." — 
(Ibid.) 

"A  King,  who  enforces  respect  to  God,  has  no  occasion  to  command 
homage  to  be  paid  to  himself." — (Ibid.) 

"  The  mercy  of  Kings  is  to  do  justice  ;  and  the  justice  of  Queens  is  to 
exercise  mercy." — (241.) 

"  Good  Kings  are  slaves,  and  their  subjects  are  free." — (Ibid.') 


278  RECOLLECTIONS,  SKETCHES,  &c. 

"  Content  seldom  travels  with  fortune,  but  follows  virtue  even  in  ad- 
versity."— (Ibid.) 

"  Solitude  can  be  delightful  only  to  the  innocent." — (Ibid.) 

"  To  consider  one's  self  great,  on  account  of  rank  and  -wealth,  is  to 
imagine  that  the  pedestal  makes  the  hero." — (Ibid.) 

"  Many  princes,  when  dying,  have  lamented  having  made  war :  we 
hear  of  none  who  at  that  moment  have  regretted  having  loved  peace." — 
(Ibid.) 

"Sensible  people  judge  of  a  head  by  what  it  contains;  frivolous 
women  by  what  is  on  the  outside" of  it." — (245.) 

Courtiers  cry  out  to  us,  "  Give  us,  without  reckoning  ! — and  the  people, 
Jieckon  what  we  give  you .'" 


HISTORICAL    ILLUSTRATIONS, 

COLLECTED   AND    AEEANGED 

BY  MADAME  CAMPAN. 


Note  No.  1.  Page  111.  138. 
THE  QUEEN'S  HOUSEHOLD. 

First  office  :   the  Superintendent. 

QUEEN  MARIA.  LECKZINSKA,  the  wife  of  Louis  XVI.,  had  Mademoiselle 
de  Clermont,  a  princess  of  the  blood,  as  the  superintendent  of  her  house- 
hold. Mademoiselle  de  Clermont  died,  and  the  Queen  requested  the" 
King  not  to  have  the  vacancy  filled  up,  the  privileges  of  the  office  of 
superintendent  being  so  extensive  that  they  were  felt  as  a  restraint  on 
the  sovereign ;  they  included  a  right  to  nominate  to  employments,  to 
determine  differences  between  the  holders  of  offices,  to  dismiss,*  or 
suspend  the  servants,  &c.  There  was  therefore  no  superintendent  after 
Mademoiselle  de  Clermont ;  and  Queen  Marie  Antoinette  had  none  at 
the  time  of  her  accession.  But  shortly  afterwards  the  Queen,  interest- 
ing herself  for  the  young  Princess  de  Lamballe,  who  was  left  a  widow 
and  childless,  determined  to  give  her  greater  personal  consideration,  by 
fixing  her  at  court,  and  therefore  appointed  her  superintendent  of  her 
household.  She  constantly  resided  at  Versailles,  in  the  commencement 
of  her  service,  and  was  very  scrupulous  in  the  punctual  execution  of 
all  the  duties  of  her  place.  The  Queen  checked  her  a  little  with  respect 
to  those  which  stood  in  the  way  of  her  inclinations,  and  the  intimacy 
between  the  Queen  and  Madame  de  Polignac  being  afterwards  formed, 
she  attended  the  court  with  less  assiduity.  Her  devoted  attachment 
led  her,  at  the  moment  when  all  the  eminent  persons  in  the  kingdom 
were  yielding  to  the  system  of  emigration,  to  return  to  France,  and  not 
to  leave  the  Queen,  who  was  then  deprived  of  all  her  friends,  and  of  that 
intimate  connection  which  had  occasioned  a  kind  of  distance  between 
the  Queen  and  the  superintendent.  The  tragic  end  of  this  interesting 
princess  must  heighten  the  feeling  excited  by  her  zeal  and  fidelity.  The 
princess  superintendent  was,  moreover,  head  of  the  Queea's  council ; 
but  her  functions  in  that  capacity  could  only  become  important  in  case 
of  a  regency. 

*  The  servants  were  suspended  by  order  of  the  head  of  the  household  for  a  fort- 
night, a  month,  or  more.  Dismission  was  more  common  than  suspension;  but  re- 
signations were  signed  by  the  parties  themselves.  It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  all 
the  offices  were  trusts,  and  that  the  holders  of  them  had  been  sworn  before  th« 
Queen,  the  superintendent,  the  lady  of  honour,  or  the  first  gentleman  usher. 

VOL.  I.— 25  (279) 


280  HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Lady  nf  honour,  the  Princess  de  Chimay. 

The  place  of  lady  of  honour  losing  many  of  its  advantages,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  appointment  of  a  superintendent,  Madame  la  Marechale 
de  Mouchy  gave  in  her  resignation.  When  the  Queen  conferred  that 
title  upon  the  Princess  de  Lainballe,  the  lady  of  honour  appointed  to 
the  offices,  administered  the  oaths  in  the  absence  of  the  superintendent ; 
made  presentations,  and  sent  invitations  in  the  Queen's  name  for  the 
excursions  to  Marly,  Choisy,  and  the  Fontainebleau ;  for  balls,  suppers, 
and  hunting  parties ;  all  changes  in  the  furniture,  and  the  linen  and 
the  laces  for  the  bed  and  toilette,  were  likewise  made  under  her  orders. 
The  head  woman  of  the  Queen's  wardrobe  managed  these  matters  jointly 
with  the  lady  of  honour.  Up  to  the  time  when  M.  de  Silhouette  was 
appointed  comptroller-general,  cloths,  napkins,  chemises,  and  lace,  had 
been  renewed  every  three  years ;  that  minister  prevailed  on  Louis  XV. 
to  decide  that  they  should  be  renewed  only  once  in  five  years.  M. 
Necker,  during  his  fiist  administration,  increased  the  interval  of  re- 
newal by  two  years,  so  that  it  took  place  only  every  seven  years.  The 
whole  of  the  old  articles  belonged  to  the  lady  of  honour.  When  a  for- 
eign princess  was  married  to  the  heir  presumptive,  or  %  son  of  France, 
:t  was  the  etiquette  to  go  and  meet  her  with  her  wedding  clothes ;  the 
young  princess  was  undressed  in  the  pavilion  usually  built  upon  the 
frontiers  for  the  occasion,  and  every  article  of  her  apparel,  without 
exception,  was  changed;  notwithstanding  which,  the  foreign  courts 
furnished  their  princesses  also  with  rich  wedding  clothes,  which  were 
considered  the  lawful  perquisites  of  the  lady  of  honour  and  the  tire- 
woman. It  is  to  be  observed,  that  emoluments  and  profits  of  all  kinds 
generally  belonged  to  the  great  offices.  On  the  death  of  Maria  Leck- 
zinska,  the  whole  of  her  chamber  furniture  was  given  up  to  the  Countess 
de  Noailles,  afterwards  Marechale  de  Mouehy,  with  the  exception  of  two 
large  rock  crystal  lustres  which  Louis  XV.  ordered  should  be  preserved 
as  appurtenances  to  the  crown.  The  tire-woman  was  intrusted  with 
the  care  of  ordering  materials,  robes,  and  court  dresses  ;  and  of  check- 
ing, and  paying  bills  ;  all  accounts  were  submitted  to  her  and  were  paid 
only  on  her  signature  and  by  her  order ;  from  shoes,  up  to  Lyons  em- 
broidered dresses.  I  believe  the  fixed  annual  sum  for  this  division  of 
expenditure,  was  one  hundred  thousand  francs ;  but  there  might  be 
additional  sums  when  the  funds  appropriated  to  this  purpose  were  in- 
sufficient. The  tire-woman  sold  the  cast-off  gowns  and  ornaments  for 
her  own  benefit ;  the  lace  for  head-dresses,  ruffles,  and  gowns,  was  pro- 
vided by  her,  and  kept  distinct  from  those  of  which  the  lady  of  honour 
had  the  direction.  There  was  a  secretary  of  the  wardrobe,  to  whom 
the  care  of  keeping  the  books,  accounts  of  payments,  and  correspon- 
dence relating  to  this  department  was  confided. 

The  tire-woman  had,  likewise,  under  her  order  a  principal  under- 
tire-woman,  charged  with  the  care  and  preservation  of  all  the  Queen's 
dresses ;  two  women  to  fold  and  press  such  articles  as  required  it ;  two 
valets,  and  one  porter  of  the  wardrobe.  The  latter  brought  every 
morning  into  the  Queen's  apartments,  baskets  covered  with  taffety,  con- 
taining all  that  she  was  to  wear  during  the  day,  and  large  cloths  of 
green  taffety  covering  the  robes,  and  the  full  dresses.  The  valet  of  the 
wardrobes  on  duty  presented  every  morning  a  large  book  to  the  first 
femme  de  chambre,  containing  patterns  of  the  gowns,  full  dresses,  un- 
dresses, &c.  Every  pattern  was  marked  to  show  to  which  sort  it  be- 


HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS.  281 

longed.  The  first  femme  de  chambre  presented  this  book  to  the  Queen, 
on  her  awaking,  with  a  pincushion;  her  majesty  stuck  pins  in  those 
articles  which  she  chose  for  the  day :  one  for  the  dress,  one  for  the 
afternoon  undress,  and  one  for  the  full  evening  dress  for  card  or  sup- 
per parties,  in  the  private  apartments.  The  book  was  then  taken  back 
to  the  wardrobe,  and  all  that  was  wanted  for  the  day  was  soon  after 
brought  in,  in  large  taffety  wrappers.  The  wardrobe  woman,  who  had 
the  care  of  the  linen,  in  her  turn,  brought  in  a  covered  basket  contain- 
ing two  or  three  chemises,  handkerchiefs,  and  napkins ;  the  morning 
basket  was  called  prct  dujour:  in  the  evening  she  brought  in  one  con- 
taining the  night-gown,  and  night-cap,  and  the  stockings  for  the  next 
Kjorning;  this  basket  was  called  pret  delanuit:  they  were  in  the  de- 
partment of  the  lady  of  honour,  the  tire-woman  having  nothing  to  do 
with  the  linen.  Nothing  was  put  in  order  or  taken  care  of  by  the 
Queen's  women.  As  soon  as  the  toilet  was  over,  the  valets  and  porter 
belonging  to  the  wardrobe  were  called  in,  and  they  carried  all  away  in 
a  heap,  in  the  taffety  wrappers,  to  the  tire-woman's  wardrobe,  where 
all  were  folded  up  again,  hung  up,  examined,  and  cleaned  with  so  much 
regularity  and  care  that  even  the  cast-off  clothes  scarcely  looked  as  if 
they  had  been  worn.  The  tire-woman's  wardrobe  consisted  of  three 
large  rooms  surrounded  with  closets,  some  furnished  with  drawers  and 
others  with  shelves  ;  there  were  also  large  tables  in  each  of  these  rooms, 
on  which  the  gowns  and  dresses  were  spread  out  and  folded  up. 

For  the  winter  the  Queen  had  generally  twelve  full  dresses,  twelve 
undresses  called  fancy  dresses,  and  twelve  rich  hoop  petticoats  for  the 
card  and  supper  parties  in  the  smaller  apartments. 

She  had  as  many  for  the  summer.  Those  for  the  spring  served  like- 
wise for  the  autumn.  All  these  dresses  were  discarded  at  the  end  of 
each  season,  unless  indeed  that  she  retained  some  that  she  particularly 
liked.  I  am  not  speaking  of  muslin  or  cambric  muslin  gowns,  or  others 
of  the  same  kind ;  they  were  lately  introduced ;  but  such  as  these  were 
not  renewed  at  each  returning  season,  they  were  kept  several  years. 
The  chief  women  were  charged  with  the  keeping,  care,  and  examina- 
tion of  the  diamonds.  This  important  duty  was  formerly  confided  to 
the  tire-woman,  but  for  many  years  had  been  included  in  the  business 
of  the  first  femmes  de  chambre. 

The  Queen's  bedchamber. 

There  was  formerly  but  one  first  femme  de  chambre.  The  large  in- 
come derived  from  the  place,  and  the  favour  by  which  it  was  generally 
accompanied,  rendered  a  division  of  it  necessary. 

The  Queen  had  two,  and  two  reversioners : 

The  incumbents  were  Madame  de  Misery,  a  daughter  of  the  Count  de 
Chemant,  and,  by  the  side  of  her  mother,  who  descended  from  a  Mont- 
morency,  cousin  to  the  Prince  de  Tingry,  who  always  called  her  cousin, 
even  before  the  Queen. 

Madame  Thibault,  formerly  femme  de  chambre  of  Queen  Maria 
Leckzinska. 

The  reversioners  were  Madame  Campan,  and  Madame  Regnier  de 
Jarjaye,  whose  husband  was  a  staff  officer  with  the  rank  of  colonel. 

The  duty  of  the  chief  femmes  de  chambre  was  to  attend  to  the  per- 
formance of  the  wholft  service  of  the  bedchamber ;  to  receive  the  Queen's 
orders  for  her  times  of  rising,  dressing,  going  out,  and  making  journeys. 


282  HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

They  were  moreover  charged  with  the  Queen's  privy  purse,  and  the  pay- 
ment of  pensions  and  gratifications.  The  diamonds,  too,  were  intrusted 
to  them.  They  did  the  honours  of  the  service  when  the  ladies  of  hon- 
our, or  tire-women,  were  absent,  and  in  the  same  manner  acted  for  them 
in  making  presentations  to  the  Queen.  Their  appointments  did  not  ex- 
ceed twelve  thousand  francs ;  but  all  the  wax  candles  of  the  bedcham- 
ber, closets,  and  card  room,  belonged  to  them  daily,  whether  lighted 
or  not,  and  this  perquisite  raised  their  income  to  more  than  fifty  thou- 
sand francs  each.  The  candles  for  the  great  closet  of  the  saloon  of  the 
nobility,  the  room  preceding  the  Queen's  chamber,  and  those  for  the 
antechambers  and  corridors,  belonged  to  the  servants  of  the  chamber. 
The  undress  gowns  were,  whenever  left  off,  carried,  by  order  of  the 
tire-woman,  to  the  chief  femmes  de  chambre.  The  court  and  full 
dresses,  with  all  other  accessories  of  the  Queen's  toilet,  belonged  to 
the  tire-woman  herself. 

The  Queens  were  very  circumspect  in  the  choice  of  their  principal 
women ;  they  generally  took  care  to  select  them  from  among  the  twelve 
ordinary  women  whom  they  knew  well,  in  order  to  keep  this  confidential 
situation  exempt  from  the  intrigues  of  the  court  and  capital.  Queen 
Marie  Antoinette,  who  knew  Madame  Campan  when  she  was  reader  to 
the  daughters  of  Louis  XV.,  and  wished  to  have  her  as  first  woman, 
made  her  a  promise  of  that  place ;  but  for  several  years  she  filled  the 
situation  of  ordinary  woman.  A  lady  of  noble  family,  much  beloved 
by  the  Queen,  who  distinguished  her,  upon  her  arrival  in  France,  from 
among  her  women,  and  who  flattered  herself  with  the  hopes  of  becom- 
ing first  woman,  was  disappointed  of  the  place,  in  consequence  of  her 
imprudence  in  taking  advantage  of  the  kindness  of  the  young  dauphi- 
ness,  who  twice  paid  her  debts,  at  the  time  she  was  expecting  to  be 
appointed  first  woman.  The  dauphiness,  when  she  became  Queen,  as- 
signed as  the  reason  for  her  refusal,  that  it  was  very  imprudent  to  trust 
money  to  persons  known  to  be  extravagant  and  thoughtless,  as  it  exposed 
the  honour  of  families,  as  well  as  the  deposit,  to  danger.  The  Queen, 
however,  softened  down  her  refusal,  by  placing  the  lady's  children  at 
St.  Cyr,  and  the  military  school,  and  granting  them  pensions.  At  the 
period  of  the  Constitution,  when  it  was  proposed  to  reform  the  house- 
hold, by  abolishing  the  titles  of  ladies  of  honour  and  gentlemen  ushers, 
and  the  King  determined  to  introduce  the  strictest  economy  into  all 
parts  of  his  own  expenses  and  those  of  the  Queen,  it  was  decided  that 
the  daily  renewal  of  the  wax  candles  should  be  discontinued.  The  office 
of  first  woman  was,  by  this  reduction,  deprived  of  its  greatest  revenue. 
The  King,  after  consulting  with  M.  de  Laporte,  fixed  the  income  of  the 
first  women  at  twenty-four  thousand  livres  each,  with  the  addition  of 
the  functions  and  perquisites  of  the  tire-women,  whose  office  was  sup- 
pressed. He  observed,  at  the  same  time,  that  the  first  women  ought  to 
be  selected  from  among  persons  of  merit  and  good  birth,  and  that  their 
income  ought  to  be  sufficient  to  place  them  above  intrigue  or  corruption. 
The  plan  of  the  household  formed  after  the  constitutional  laws,  was  de 
creed,  but  the  military  part  was  the  only  one  put  in  execution. 

The  Queen  had  twelve  women  in  ordinary : — 

Madame  de  Malherbe,  the  wife  of  the  Queen's  maitre  d'hotel,  latt 
commissary  at  war ;  she  died  since  the  revolution. 

Madame  de  Fregal,  daughter  of  M.  Emengard  de  Beauval,  mayor  of 
Compiegne,  and  lieutenant  of  the  hunt,  wife  of  a  cavalry  captain ;  sh< 
is  living  at  her  own  estate  in  Picardy,  upon  her  property. 


HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS.  1>8:J 

Madame  Regnier  de  Jarjaye  (first  woman  in  reversion).  Her  hus- 
band has  left  the  service.  They  are  living  at  Paris  in  easy  circum- 
stances. 

Madame  Campan,  also  first  woman  in  reversion,  and  reader  to  the 
princesses,  daughters  of  Louis  XV.,  had  long  discharged  the  duties  of 
first  woman  only,  Madame  de  Misery,  her  principal,  having  retired  to 
her  estate  of  Biache,  near  Peronne. 

Madame  Auguie,  who  fell  a  victim  to  the  revolution,  for  lending  the 
Queen  twenty-five  louis  during  the  two  days  she  passed  at  the  Feuillans. 
M.  Auguie  was  at  that  time  receiver-general  of  the  finances  of  the 
duchy  of  Lorraine  and  Bar,  and  commissioner  of  the  subsistence  tax. 

Madame  Terasse  des  Mareilles.  Her  husband  has  a  place -under 
government.  Her  daughter  married  the  brother  of  M.  Miot,  a  coun- 
sellor of  state. 

Mademoiselle  de  Marolles,  one  of  the  ladies  of  St.  Cyr.  She  remains 
poor,  and  has  retired  to  her  own  country,  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Tours. 

Madame  Cardon,  widow  of  the  Mayor  of  Arras,  has  some  fortune, 
and  lives  upon  her  estate. 

Madame  Arcambal.  Her  husband  and  father-in-law  are  in  the  war 
department. 

Madame  de  Gougenot.  Her  husband,  a  gentleman  and  very  rich, 
receiver-general  of  taxes,  and  the  King's  maitre  d'hotel,  died  a  victim 
to  the  revolution.  She  lives  at  Paris  in  retirement  and  affluence.  She 
would  haA'e  been  extremely  rich  if  she  had  had  any  children. 

Madame  de  Beauvast,  wife  of  a  commissary  at  war,  formerly  one  of 
the  King's  musketeers,  and  a  Chevalier  de  St.  Louis ;  is  very  poor. 

Madame  Le  Vacher,  dead.  Her  husband  is  at  present  receiver  of 
the  tolls  at  Marseilles. 

Madame  Henri.  Her  husband  is  now  in  the  war  office.  Her  father 
had  a  principal  charge  in  the  liquidation  of  the  civil  list.  They  have 
a  number  of  children. 

The  eight  senior  women  of  the  Queen  had  incomes  of  three  thousand 
six  hundred  francs. 

The  other  four  had  two  thousand  four  hundred  livres. 

They  had  three  hundred  livres  less  when  they  had  lodgings  in  the 
castle  of  Versailles,  or  apartments  assigned  them.  When  the  King 
went  to  Compiegne  in  July,  and  Fontainebleau  in  October,  three  hun- 
dred livres  a  journey  were  added  to  their  appointments,  to  defray  the 
expenses  of  moving.  It  must  be  observed  that  these  journeys,  even  if 
economically  performed,  cost  from  a  thousand  to  twelve  hundred 
livres.  But  the  husbands  of  these  ladies  had  all  honourable  and  lucra- 
tive situations,  and  the  appointments  of  places  of  this  description  were 
not  at  all  thought  of! — the  support  and  protection  of  the  Queen  were 
the  only  things  that  made  them  canvassed  for.  I  remember,  when  the 
poorest  among  them  had  an  income  of  from  fifteen  to  twenty  thousand 
francs ;  and  some  of  them,  from  their  husbands'  circumstances,  had 
from  sixty  to  eighty  thousand  francs  a  year :  but  these  fortunes  came 
from  financial  employments,  *br  places  of  hereditary  property,  and 
were  no  way  drawn  from  the  royal  treasury,  the  pensions  granted 
being  few  and  inconsiderable. 

There  was  no  pension  granted  to  the  first  women;  when  they  retired, 
they  retained  the  whole  emoluments  of  their  places,  which  was  too 

25* 


284  HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

considerable  to  admit  of  their  being  indemnified  for  it.  Those  -who 
had  the  places  in  reversion  acted  for  them,  and  received  a  salary  of 
six  thousand  livres. 

The  femmes  de  chambre  in  ordinary  were  allowed  four  thousand 
livres  pension,  after  a  series  of  thirty  years ;  three  thousand,  after  one 
of  twenty-five  years ;  and  two  thousand,  after  one  of  twenty  years. 

The  twelve  women  served 'in  turns,  four  every  week;  two  of  these 
every  day  alternatively ;  so  that  the  four  women  who  had  served  one 
week  were  the  next  fortnight  at  leisure,  unless  a  substitute  were 
wanted ;  and  in  the  week  of  duty  they  had  intervals  of  two  or  three 
days.  There  was  no  table  appointed  for  the  female  service,  except 
when  the  court  left  Versailles.  The  first  women  had  their  kitchen  and 
cook.  The  others  had  their  dinners  taken  to  them  in  their  apartment. 

Wardrobe  woman,  the  person  named  R . 

This  woman  was  intpusted  with  all  matters  relating  to  her  place,  but 
as  her  service  lasted  all  the  year  round,  she  was  very  useful  in  several 
particulars  of  internal  domestic  service,  which  would  have  been  other- 
wise but  ill  performed  by  women  of  the  class  of  those  who  served  the 
Queen.  Her  utility,  and  the  kindness  of  her  mistress,  had  unfortu- 
nately made  her  services  but  too  indispensable.  Some  particulars 
relative  to  the  departure  for  Varennes  could  not  be  concealed  from 
her ;  and  it  appears  clear  that  she  betrayed  the  Queen's  secret  to  some 
of  the  deputies  or  members  of  the  commune  of  Paris.  She  was  under 
the  immediate  orders  of  the  first  femme  de  chambre,  who  frequently, 
in  case  of  a  vacancy,  prociired  the  place  for  her  own  femme  de  cham- 
bre.  When  the  Queen,  on  her  return  from  Varennes,  dismissed  this 

woman  R ,  she  put  the  governess  of  Madame  Campan's  son  in  her 

place. 

There  were  also  two  bathing-women,  charged  with  all  that  belonged 
to  the  baths,  who  made  it  their  peculiar  care.  The  flowers,  vases, 
porcelain,  and  all  the  ornaments  of  the  apartment,  were  arranged 
every  morning  by  a  wardrobe  woman,  who  had  no  other  business. 

Master  of  the  wardrobe. 

This  office,  important  as  it  may  be  about  a  prince,  was  but  a  mere 
name  about  a  princess ;  the  tire-woman  being  charged  with  all  tiuit 
related  to  his  department,  and  having  under  her  orders  a  secretary  of 
the  wardrobe  for  correspondence  and  payment  of  demands.  The 
income  of  the  master  of  the  wardrobe  was,  notwithstanding,  sixty 
thousand  Trancs.  The  office  was  held  by  the  Count  de  la  Mortiere,  who 
died  a  general  some  years  ago,  and  in  reversion  by  M.  Ponjaud,  far- 
mer-general. Its  only  prerogative  was  the  right  of  entrance  into  the 
chamber. 

First  valet  de  chambre. 

The  functions  of  the  first  femme  de  chambre  had  in  the  same  manner 
reduced  this  office  to  the  mere  title,  and  a  right  of  entrance  to  the 
toilette.  The  salary  was  forty  thousand  francs. 

Train  bearer  in  ordinary. 

This  office  had  daily  and  assiduous  duties  attached  to  it.  To  hold 
it,  it  was  necessary  to  be  either  noble,  the  son  of  an  ennobled  person, 


HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS.  285 

or  decorated  with  the  cross  of  St.  Louis ;  the  first  gentleman  usher, 
being  obliged  to  receive  him  into  his  carriage  when  attending  the  court 
en  suite,  would  not  otherwise  have  consented  to  sit  with  him.  This 
officer  suffered  a  continual  mortification,  being  obliged  by  etiquette  to 
give  up  the  Queen's  train  to  her  page  whenever  her  majesty  entered 
the  chapel  or  the  inner  apartments  of  the  King;  so  that  after  having 
borne  the  train  in  the  great  apartment,  and  the  mirror  gallery,  he 
gave  it  up  to  the  page  at  the  entrance  to  the  chapel  and  the  King's  apart- 
ment. He  kept  the  Queen's  mantle  or  pelisse,  but  handed  them  to  the 
first  gentleman  usher  or  the  first  equerry  if  the  Queen  wished  to  make 
use  of  them.  This  practice  was  called  doing  the  honours  of  the  service, 
and  was  always  observed  by  the  inferior  officer  to  the  superior. 

Secretaries  for  orders :  Messieurs  Augeard  and  Beaugcard. 

The  business  of  these  officers  was  to  get  orders  for  the  payment  of 
her  household  signed  by  the  Queen ;  which  she  did  punctually  every 
three  months  at  her  dressing  hour. 

These  secretaries  were  also  to  answer  letters  of  etiquette,  such  as 
those  from  sovereigns  upon  births,  deaths,  &c.  The  Queen  merely 
signed  letters  of  this  nature. 

The  private  secretary  of  the  secretaries  for  orders  took  every  Sun- 
day, from  a  table  in  the  Queen's  room,  the  whole  of  the  memorials 
which  had  been  presented  to  her  in  the  course  of  the  week.  He  made 
an  abstract  of  them,  and  they  were  sent  to  the  different  ministers. 
Generally,  the  solicitors  got  very  little  by  them,  unless  in  some  extra- 
ordinary cases  of  hardship  ;  but  they  were,  at  all  events,  sure  that  the 
original  certificates,  and  family  documents,  which  are  often  impru- 
dently annexed  to  memorials  and  petitions,  would  be  faithfully  re- 
turned. The  Queen  took  into  her  private  closet,  all  those  memorials 
to  which  she  intended  to  add  postscripts,  or  which  she  wished  to  give 
to  the  ministers  herself. 

Superintendent  of  finances,  demesnes,  and  affairs — M.  Bertier,  intcn- 

danl  of  Paris. 
This  office  was  almost  entirely  a  sinecure. 

Intendant  of  the  household  and  finances,  M.  Gabriel  de  Saint  Charles, 
A  sinecure. 

Reader,  the  Abbe  de  Vermond. 

This  modest  title  gives  a  very  inadequate  idea  of  the  office  and  power 
of  the  man.  Having  been  the  Queen's  tutor  before  her  marriage,  he 
retained  an  absolute  power  over  her  mind.  He  was  her  private  secre- 
tary, confidant,  and  (unfortunately)  her  adviser. 

Readers  :  the  Countess  de  Neuilly;  Madame  de  La  Borde,  in  reversion. 

A  few  years  ago  this  lady  married  M.  de  Rohan  Chabot ;  her  first 
husband  fell  a  victim  to  the  revolution.  He  was  first  valet  de  chambre 
to  Louis  XV.,  and  brother  of  the  Countess  d'Angiviller. 

The  office  of  female  reader  was  a  sinecure  under  the  reign  of  Marie 
Antoinette,  the  Abbe  de  Vermond  objecting  to  the  female  readers 
having  the  advantage  of  reading  to  the  Queen.  He  did  not,  however, 


286  HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

object  to  the  women,  or  first  women,   officiating  for  her.     Madame 
Campan  generally  had  that  honour. 

Secretary  of  the  Closet,  M.  Campan. 

He  was  intrusted  with  every  part  of  the  correspondence  which  did 
not  belong  to  the  secretaries  for  orders,  or  the  Abbe  de  Vermond.  He 
enjoyed  the  confidence  of  his  mistress,  and  succeeded  the  Abb6  de  Ver- 
mond, who  emigrated  on  the  17th  of  July,  1789,  until  his  death  in 
September,  1701.  The  Queen  could  not  refrain  from  tears  at  his 
death,  which  was  occasioned  by  the  grief  experienced  by  that  faithful 
servant  during  the  sanguinary  scenes  of  the  revolution.  His  blood 
underwent  a  complete  revulsion  in  the  night  between  the  5th  and  6th 
of  October,  at  Versailles,  and  the  first  symptoms  of  a  dropsy  in  the 
chest  showed  themselves  the  very  next  day. 

ft*  Oampan  was,  besides,  librarian  to  the  Queen  from  the  time  of 
hsr  arrival  in  France,  though  she  suffered  M.  Moreau,  historiographer 
of  France,  to  retain  the  title.  She  came  from  Versailles  strongly  pre- 
possessed against  that  literary  man,  whose  political  character  had,  in 
truth,  suffered  during  the  parliamentary  troubles  towards  the  close  of 
the  reign  of  Louis  XV.  She  caused  it  to  be  intimated  to  him,  that  she 
wished  him  to  give  up  the  keys  of  her  library  to  M.  Campan,  but 
that,  out  of  respect  to  the  King's  appointment,  she  left  him  his  title 
and  the  salary  of  his  office. 

It  is  to  be  presumed,  that  the  Abbe"  de  Vermond,  while  fulfilling  his 
duties  of  tutor  at  Vienna,  was  startled  at  the  appointment  of  a  literary 
character  to  the  situation  of  librarian  to  the  young  dauphiness,  the 
more  especially  as  M.  Moreau,  elated  with  his  new  honour,  had 
printed  a  work,  entitled  "Library  of  Madame  the  Dauphiness,"  in 
which  he  traced  out  a  course  of  history  and  general  study  for  the 
princess.  The  Abb6  de  Vermond,  determined  to  have  the  sole  charge 
of  duties  of  that  kind,  planned  his  fall  so  skilfully,  long  beforehand, 
that  it  took  place  on  his  very  first  step.  M.  Moreau  died  lately,  at  an 
advanced  age,  at  his  estate  of  Chambourcy,  near  Saint  Germain.  His 
disgrace,  at  which  he  was  greatly  hurt,  probably  preserved  his  life  and 
fortune. 

The  Queen  had — 

Two  valets  de  chambre,  in  ordinary. 

An  usher  in  ordinary. 

(The  duty  of  the  offices,  denominated  ordinary,  was  to  act  as  substi- 
tutes for  those  who  could  not  perform  their  quarterly  service.) 

Four  ushers  for  the  chamber,  serving  by  the  quarter  ; 

Two  ushers  of  the  closet ; 

Two  ushers  of  the  antechamber ; 

Eight  valets  de  chambre,  per  quarter ; 

Six  servants  of  the  chamber,  or  rather,  we  may  say  (in  order  to  con- 
yey  a  more  accurate  idea  of  this  office),  valets  de  chambre  of  the  sleeping 
room.  These  six  places  about  the  King  and  Queen,  were  greatly  pre- 
ferred to  those  of  valet  de  chambre,  because  they  were  much  more  in 
the  inner  apartments.  Those  of  the  King  were  raised  gradually  to  eight 
thousand  francs. 

An  ordinary  valet  of  the  wardrobe. 

Two  valets  of  the  wardrobe,  each  serving  six  months. 

A  porter  of  the  wardrobe,  who  carried  the  taffety  wrappers,  cloths, 
and  baskets,  from  the  chamber  to  the  tiring  wardrobe. 


HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS.  287 

An  ordinary  keeper  of  the  wardrobe  of  the  chamber,  M.  Bonnefri 
dn  Plan. 

He  was  also  house  steward  of  Petit  Trianon.  It  was  he  who  designed 
and  executed  the  press,  or  rather  the  kind  of  secretary,  appropriated 
to  the  Queen's  jewels,  and  which  is  at  this  moment  at  Saint  Cloud.  His 
name  and  the  year  in  which  that  piece  of  furniture,  remarkable  for  its 
richness  and  the  paintings  with  which  it  is  ornamented,  was  made,  are 
engraved  upon  a  plate  of  copper,  which  is  at  the  bottom  of  it.  Boulard, 
an  eminent  upholsterer  of  Paris,  was  long  a  servant  of  the  wardrobe 
under  the  orders  of  Bonnefri. 

Four  valets  de  chambre  upholsterers. 

They  came  to  make  the  bed  in  the  morning,  and  turn  it  down  in  the 
evening. 

The  Queen  had  two  hairdressers  attached  to  her  person.  They  were 
the  brother  and  cousin  of  Leonard,  the  celebrated  hairdresser.  The 
latter  also  held  a  place  as  hairdresser,  but  did  not  quit  Paris,  and  came 
only  on  Sundays  at  noon  to  the  Queen's  toilet.  He  also  came  to  Ver- 
sailles on  holidays  and  at  balls.  He  is  now  at  Petersburg. 

His  brother  was  guillotined  at  Paris ;  his  cousin  died  in  emigration. 
They  were  very  good  and  faithful  servants. 

Medical  Department. 

A  chief  physician :  M.  Vicq  d'Azyr,  after  the  death  of  M.  de  Las- 
sone ; 

A  physician  in  ordinary :    M.  de  Lassone,  the  son ; 

A  chief  surgeon :  M.  de  Chairgnac  ; 

A  surgeon  in  ordinary  officiating  for  the  household ; 

Two  common  surgeons  to  attend  to  the  livery  servants,  kitchen  ser- 
vants, and  stable  servants;  * 

A  body  apothecary ; 

.A  common  apothecary; 

A  well  furnished  dispensary,  from  which  the  inferior  servants  re- 
ceived the  necessary  drugs  and  remedies.  All  above  the  class  of  foot- 
men, or  kitchen  servants,  thought  it  beneath  them  to  avail  themselves 
of  this  right,  but  they  had  liberty  to  do  so. 

Officers  of  the  mouth. 

A  chief  maitre  d'hotel :  the  Marquis  de  Talaru  ; 

A  maitre  d'hotel,  in  ordinary :  M.  Chalut  de  Verin  ;  M.  de  Guimps,  in 
reversion. 

Messieurs  Dufour  and  Campan  the  son,  in  reversion ; 

Cosson  de  Guimps ; 

De  Malherbe,  in  reversion ; 

Despriez,  Moreau  d'Olibois,  in  reversion ; 

Clement  de  Ris. 

These  places  required  nobility.  The  maitres  d'hotel  officiated  for 
the  gentlemen  ushers  in  case  the  Queen  should  happen  to  want  them 
when  going  in  grand  procession.  Quarterly  at  Versailles,  as  well  as  on 
journeys,  they  did  the  honours  of  a  table  to  which  were  admitted  the 
lieutenant  and  exempt  of  the  guards  upon  duty,  the  gentleman  usher 
in  ordinary,  as  well  as  the  one  for  the  quarter,  and  the  Queen's 
almoner. 


288  HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

The  Queen  had, 

One  gentleman  serving  in  ordinary ; 

Twelve  gentlemen  serving  by  the  quarter ; 

Their  duty  was  to  serve  up  at  the  dinners  of  the  King  and  Queen, 
and  at  the  grand  convert.  Notwithstanding  the  title  gentleman,  this 
place  did  not  require  nobility. 

A  comptroller-general  of  the  Queen's  household,  M.  Mercier  de  la 

Source. 

This  officer  inspected  and  regulated  all  the  expenses  of  the  mouth, 
being  a  kind  of  medium  between  the  Queen's  household  and  the  royal 
treasury ;  he  had  power,  upon  the  Queen's  mere  demand,  in  case  of 
extraordinary  expense,  to  draw  for  additional  supplies ;  the  Queen 
availed  herself  of  this  privilege  but  very  seldom,  and  then  only  for 
things  relative  to  the  arts  which  she  patronized.  It  was  accordingly 
M.  de  la  Source  who  fixed  the  sum  granted  for  the  quarto  edition  of 
Metastasio :  a  tribute  which  the  Queen  thought  due  from  her  to  that 
celebrated  author,  her  old  Italian  master  at  the  court  of  Vienna. 

Four  comptrollers  of  the  mouth  serving  by  the  quarter. 

A  comptroller  in  ordinary,  specially  charged  with  the  Queen's  table. 

Stables. 

Chief  equerry,  the  Count  de  Tess4. 
The  Duke  de  Polignac,  in  reversion. 
Processional  equerry,  M.  de  Salvost. 
Governor  of  the  pages,  M.  de  Perdreauville. 
A  preceptor ; 
An  almoner ; 

And  all  the  masters  employed  in  the  education  of  the  King's  pages. 
Twelve  pages.  v 

Chevalier  d'honneur,  the  Count  de  Saulx  Tavarmes. 
An  equerry  in  ordinary,  M.  Petit  de  Vievigne.    Quarterly  equerries ; 
Messieurs  de  Wallans ; 

de  Billey ; 

Chevalier  de  Vaussay  de  Beauregard  ; 

Count  de  Saint  Angel. 

Chapel. 

A  grand  almoner,  the  Bishop  Duke  de  Laon. 

A  first  almoner,  the  Bishop  de  Meaux. 

Almoner  in  ordinary,  the  Abbe"  de  Beaufoil  de  Saint  Aulaire. 

Confessor,  the  Abbi  Poupast. 

Four  quarterly  almoners. 

An  almoner  in  ordinary. 

Four  quarterly  chaplains. 

A  chaplain  in  ordinary. 

Chapel  boys. 

Four  quarterly  chapel  boys. 

A  chapel  boy  in  ordinary. 

Two  chapel  summoners. 

There  were  besides  a  great  number  of  offices,  especially  for  the  mouth, 
such  as  esquire  of  the  mouth,  chief  butler,  head  of  the  butlery  officers, 
&c.  But  they  had  no  opportunity  of  serving  directly  about  the  Queen. 


HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS.  289 

The  Queen  had  twelve  footmen. 

The  Versailles  almanac,  and  old  catalogues,  enumerate  all  the  infe- 
rior offices. 

Note  No.  2,  Page  167. 
PARTICULARS  OF  ETIQUETTE. 

The  Queen's  manner  of  living  and  the  Arrangement  of  her  Time. 

When  the  King  slept  in  the  Queen's  apartment,  he  always  rose  before 
her  ;  the  exact  hour  was  communicated  to  the  head  femme  de  chambre, 
who  entered,  preceded  by  a  servant  of  the  bedchamber  bearing  a  taper ; 
she  crossed  the  room  and  unbolted  the  door  which  separated  the  Queen's 
apartment  from  that  of  the  King.  She  there  found  the  first  valet  de 
chambre  for  the  quarter,  and  a  servant  of  the  chamber.  They  Gnter- 
ed,  opened  the  bed  curtains  on  the  King's  side,  and  presented  him  slip- 
pers generally,  as  well  as  the  dressing-gown,  which  he  put  on,  of  gold 
or  silver  stuif.  The  first  valet  de  chambre  took  down  a  short  sword, 
which  was  always  laid  within  the  railing  on  the  King's  side.  When 
the  King  slept  with  the  Queen,  this  sword  was  brought  upon  the  arm- 
chair appropriated  to  the  King,  and  which  was  placed  near  the  Queen's 
bed,  within  the  gilt  railing  which  surrounded  the  bed.  The  first  femme 
de  chambre  conducted  the  King  to  the  door,  bolted  it  again,  and  leav- 
ing the  Queen's  chamber,  did  not  return  until  the  hour  appointed  by 
her  majesty  the  evening  before.  At  night  the  Queen  went  to  bed  before 
the  King;  the  first  femme  de  chambre  remained  seated  at  the  foot  of 
her  bed  until  the  arrival  of  his  majesty,  in  order,  as  in  the  morning,  to 
see  the  King's  attendants  out,  and  bolt  the  door  after  them.  The  Queen 
awoke  habitually  at  eight  o'clock,  and  breakfasted  at  nine,  frequently 
in  bed,  and  sometimes  after  she  had  risen,  at  a  small  table  placed  op- 
posite her  couch. 

In  order  to  describe  the  Queen's' "private  service  intelligibly,  it  must 
be  recollected  that  service  of  every  kind  was  honour,  and  had  not  any 
other  denomination.  To  do  the  honours  of  the  service,  was  to  present  the 
service  to  an  officer  of  superior  rank,  who  happened  to  arrive  at  the 
moment  it  was  about  to  be  performed :  thus,  supposing  the  Queen  asked 
for  a  glass  of  water,  the  servant  of  the  chamber  handed  to  the  first 
woman  a  silver  gilt  waiter,  upon  which  were  placed  a  covered  goblet 
and  a  small  decanter;  but  should  the  lady  of  honour  come  in,  the  first 
woman  was  obliged  to  present  the  waiter  to  her,  and  if  Madame  or  the 
Countess  d'Artois  came  in  at  the  moment,  the  waiter  went  again  from 
the  lady  of  honour  into  the  hands  of  the  princess,  before  it  reached  the 
Queen.  It  must  be  observed,  however,  that  if  a  princess  of  the  blood, 
instead  of  a  princess  of  the  family,  entered,  the  service  went  directly 
from  the  first  woman  to  the  princess  of  the  blood,  the  lady  of  honour 
being  excused  from  transferring  to  any  but  princesses  of  the  royal  fa- 
mily. Nothing  was  presented  directly  to  the  Queen ;  her  handkerchief 
or  her  gloves  were  placed  upon  a  long  salver  of  gold  or  silver  gilt,  which 
was  placed  as  a  piece  of  furniture  of  ceremony  upon  a  side  table,  and 
was  called  ganliere.  The  first  woman  presented  to  her  in  this  manner 
all  that  she  asked  for,  unless  the  tire-woman,  the  lady  of  honour,  or  a 
princess,  were  present,  and  then  the  gradation,  pointed  out  in  the  in- 
stance of  the  glass  of  water,  was  always  observed. 

Whether  the  Queen  breakfasted  in  bed  or  up,  those  entitled  to  the 
pelites  entrees  were  equally  admitted ;  this  privilege  belonged  of  right  to 


290  HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

her  chief  physician,  chief  surgeon,  physician  in  ordinary,  reader,  closet 
secretary,  the  King's  four  first  valets  de  chambre  and  their  reversioners, 
and  the  King's  chief  physicians  and  surgeons.  There  were  frequently 
from  ten  to  twelve  persons  at  this  first  entree.  The  lady  of  honour,  or 
the  superintendent,  if  present,  placed  the  breakfast  equipage  upon  the 
bed ;  the  Princess  de  Lamballe.  frequently  performed  that  office. 

As  soon  as  the  Queen  rose,  the  wardrobe  woman  was  admitted  to  take 
away  the  pillows  and  put  the  bed  into  a  fit  state  to  be  made  by  some 
of  the  valets  de  chambre.  She  undrew  the  curtains,  and  the  bed  was 
not  generally  made  until  the  Queen  was  gone  to  mass.  .Generally,  ex- 
cepting at  Saint  Cloud,  where  the  Queen  bathed  in  an  apartment  beloAV 
her  own,  a  slipper  bath  was  rolled  into  her  room,  and  her  bathers 
brought  everything  that  was  necessary  for  the  bath.  The  Queen  bathed 
in  a  large  chemise  of  English  flannel  buttoned  down  to  the  bottom ;  its 
sleeves  throughout,  as  well  as  the  collar,  were  lined  with  linen.  When  •• 
she  came  out  of  the  bath,  the  first  woman  held  up  a  cloth  to  conceal  her 
entirely  from  the  sight  of  her  women,  and  then  threw  it  over  her  shoul- 
ders. The  bathers  wrapped  her  in  it,  and  dried  her  completely ;  she 
then  put  on  a  long  and  wide  open  chemise,  entirely  trimmed  with  lace, 
and  afterwards  a  white  taffety  bedgown.  The  wardrobe  woman  warm- 
ed the  bed ;  the  slippers  were  of  dimity,  trimmed  with  lace.  Thus 
dressed,  the  Queen  went  to  bed  again,  and  the  bathers  and  servants  of 
the  chamber  took  away  the  bathing  apparatus.  The  Queen,  replaced 
in  bed,  took  a  book  or  her  tapestry  work.  On  her  bathing  mornings 
she  breakfasted  in  the  bath.  The  tray  was  placed  on  the  cover  of  the 
bath.  These  minute  details  are  given  here  only  to  do  justice  to  the 
Queen's  scrupulous  modesty.  Her  temperance  was  equally  remarka- 
ble ;  she  breakfasted  on  coffee  or  chocolate  ;  at  dinner  ate  nothing  but 
white  meat,  drank  water  only,  and  supped  on  broth,  a  wing  of  a  fowl, 
and  small  biscuits,  which  she  soaked  in  a  glass  of  water. 

The  public  toilet  took  place  at  noon.  The  toilet  table  was  drawn  for- 
ward into  the  middle  of  the  room.  This  piece  of  furniture  was  gene- 
rally the  richest  and  most  ornamented  of  all  in  the  apartment  of  the 
princesses.  The  Queen  used  it  in  the  same  manner  and  place  for  un- 
dressing herself  in  the  evening.  She  went  to  bed  laced  in  corsets 
trimmed  with  ribbon,  and  sleeves  trimmed  with  lace,  and  wore  a  large 
neck  handkerchief.  The  Queen's  combing  cloth  was  presented,  by  her 
first  woman,  if  she  was  alone  at  the  commencement  of  the  toilet;  or, 
as  well  as  the  other  articles,  by  the  ladies  of  honour  if  they  were  come. 
At  noon  the  women  who  had  been  in  attendance  four-and-twenty  hours, 
were  relieved  by  two  women  in  full  dress ;  the  first  woman  went  also 
to  dress  herself.  The  grandes  entrees  were  admitted  during  the  toilet , 
sofas  were  placed  in  circles  for  the  superintendent,  the  ladies  of  ho- 
nour, and  tire-woman,  and  the  governess  of  the  children  of  France  when 
she  came  there ;  the  duties  of  the  ladies  of  the  bedchamber  having 
nothing  to  do  with  any  kind  of  domestic  or  private  functions,  did  not 
begin  until  the  hour  of  going  out  to  mass ;  they  waited  in  the  great 
closet,  and  entered  when  the  toilet  was  over.  The  princes  of  the  blood, 
captains  of  the  guards,  and  all  great  officers,  having  the  entry,  paid 
their  court  at  the  hour  of  the  toilet.  The  Queen  saluted  by  nodding  her 
head,  of  bending  her  body,  or  leaning  upon  her  toilet  table,  as  if  moving 
to  rise ;  the  latter  mode  of  salutation  was  for  the  princes  of  the  blood. 
The  King's  brothers,  also,  came  very  generally  to  pay  their  respects  to 
ber  majesty  while  her  hair  was  dressing.  In  the  earlier  years  of  the 


HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS.  291 

reign,  the  first  part  of  the  dressing  was  performed  in  the  bedchamber 
and  according  to  the  laws  of  etiquette ;  thatris  to  say,  the  lady  of  ho- 
nour put  on  the  chemise,  and  poured  out  the  water  for  the  hands ;  the 
tire-woman  put  on  the  skirt  of  the  gown  or  full  dress,  adjusted  the 
handkerchief,  and  tied  on  the  necklace.  But  when  the  young  Queen 
became  more  seriously  devoted  to  fashion,  and  the  head-dress  attained 
BO  extravagant  a  height,  that  it  became  necessary  to  put  on  the  chemise 
from  below ;  when,  in  short,  she  determined  to  have  her  milliner, 
Mademoiselle  Bertin,  with  her  whilst  she  was  dressing,  whom  the  ladies 
would  have  refused  to  admit  to  any  share  in  the  honour  of  attending 
on  the  Queen,  the  dressing  in  the  bedchamber  was  discontinued,  and 
the  Queen  leaving  her  toilet,  withdrew  into  her  closet  to  dress. 

On  returning  into  her  chamber,  the  Queen,  standing  about  the  middle 
of  it,  surrounded  by  the  superintendent,  the  ladies  of  honour  and  tire- 
women, her  ladies  of  the  bedchamber,  the  first  gentleman-usher,  the 
chief  equerry,  her  clergy  ready  to  attend  her  to  mass,  the  prin- 
cesses of  the  royal  family,  who  happened  to  come,  accompanied 
by  all  their  attendants,  ladies,  and  tire-women,  passed  in  order  into 
the  gallery,  as  in  going  to  mass.  The  Queen's  signatures  were  gene- 
rally given  at  the  moment  of  entry  into  the  chamber.  The  secretary 
for  orders  presented  the  pen.  Presentations  of  colonels,  on  taking 
leave,  were  usually  made  at  this  time.  Those  of  ladies,  and  such  as 
had  a  right  to  the  tabouret,  or  sitting  in  the  royal  presence,  were  made 
on  Sunday  evenings,  before  card-playing  began,  on  their  coming  in 
to  pay  their  respects.  Ambassadors  were  introduced  to  the  Queen  on 
Tuesday  mornings,  accompanied  by  the  attendant  of  ambassadors  on 
duty,  and  M.  de  Sequeville,  the  secretary  for  the  ambassadors.  The 
attendant  in  waiting  usually  came  to  the  Queen  at  her  toilet,  to 
apprise  her  of  the  presentations  which  would  be  made  of  foreigners. 
The  usher  of  the  chamber,  stationed  at  the  entrance,  opened  the  fold- 
ing-doors to  none  but  the  princes  and  princesses  of  the  royal  family, 
and  announced  them  aloud.  Quitting  his  post,  he  came  forward  to 
name  the  lady  of  honour,  the  persons  who  came  to  be  presented,  or 
who  came  to  take  leave :  that  lady  again  named  them  to  the  Queen,  at 
the  moment  they  saluted  her ;  if  she  and  the  tire-woman  were  absent, 
the  first  woman  took  the  place,  and  did  that  duty.  The  ladies  of  the 
bedchamber,  chosen  solely  as  companions  for  the  Queen,  had  no 
domestic  duties  to  fulfil,  however  opinion  might  dignify  such  offices  in 
a  monarchical  government.  The  King's  letter  in  appointing  them, 
among  other  instructions  of  etiquette,  ran  thus:  "Having  chpsen  you 
to  bear  the  Queen  company."  There  were  hardly  any  emoluments 
accruing  from  this  place,  which  was  purely  honorary. 

The  Queen  heard  mass  with  the  King  in  the  tribune,  facing  the  grand 
altar  and  the  music,  with  the  exception  of  the  days  of  high  cere- 
mony, when  their  chairs  were  placed  below,  upon  velvet  carpets  fringed 
with  gold.  These  days  were  marked  by  the  name  of  grand  chapel  days. 

The  Queen  named  the  collector  beforehand,  and  informed  her  of  it 
through  her  lady  of  honour,  who  was  besides  desired  to  send  the  purse 
to  her.  The  collectors  were  almost  always  chosen  from  among  those 
who  had  been  recently  presented.  After  returning  from  mass,  the 
Queen  dined  every  Sunday  with  the  King  only,  in  public,  in  the  cabinet 
of  the  nobility,  a  room  which  preceded  her  chamber.  Titled  ladies, 
having  the  honours,  sat  during  the  dinner  upon  sofas  placed  on  each 
VOL.  i.— 26 


292  HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

side  of  the  table  ;  ladies  without  titles  stood  around  the  table ;  the  cap- 
tain of  the  guards,  and  the  first  gentleman  of  the  chamber,  were  behind 
the  King's  chair  ;  behind  that  of  the  Queen  were  her  first  maitre  d'hotel, 
her  first  gentleman  usher,  and  the  chief  equerry.  The  Queen's  maitre 
d'hotel  was  furnished  with  a  large  staff,  six  or  seven  feet  in  length,  or- 
namented with  golden  fleurs  de  lis,  and  surmounted  by  fleurs  de  lis  in 
the  form  of  a  crown.  He  entered  the  room  with  this  badge  of  his  office, 
to  announce  that  the  Queen  was  served.  The  comptroller  put  into  his 
hands  the  card  of  the  dinner ;  in  the  absence  of  the  maitre  d'hotel,  he 
presented  it  to  the  Queen  himself,  otherwise  he  only  did  him  the  honours 
of  the  service.  The  maitre  d'hotel  did  not  leave  his  place,  he  merely 
gave  the  orders  for  serving  up  and  removing ;  the  comptroller  and 
gentleman  serving,  placed  the  various  dishes  upon  the  table,  receiving 
them  from  the  inferior  servants. 

The  prince  nearest  to  the  crown,  presented  water  to  wash  the  King's 
hands,  at  the  moment  he  placed  himself  at  table ;  and  a  princess  did 
the  same  service  to  the  Queen. 

The  table  service  was  formerly  performed  for  the  Queen  by  the  lady 
of  honour,  and  four  women  in  full  dress;  this  part  of  the  women's 
service  was  transferred  to  them  on  the  suppression  of  the  office  of 
maids  of  honour.  The  Queen  put  an  end  to  this  etiquette  in  the  first 
year  of  her  reign.  When  the  dinner  was  over,  the  Queen  returned 
without  the  King  to  her  apartment,  with  her  women ;  and  took  off  her 
hoop  and  train. 

Note  3.  Page  167. 
THE  QUEEN'S  PRIVY  PURSE. 
Manner  of  managing  the  funds. 

The  first  women  served  by  the  month,  and  gave  the  accounts  of  the 
privy  purse  to  the  Queen  herself  at  the  end  of  every  month ;  after 
having  examined  them,  the  Queen  wrote  at  the  bottom  of  the  last 
page:  "Approved — Marie  Antoinette."  Each  of  the  first  women  carried 
home  her  account  thus  audited,  leaving  in  the  office  of  their  apart- 
ments in  the  castle,  the  receipts  for  the  pensions  or  other  matters 
which  she  had  paid  during  her  month's  service.  In  the  same  office 
•"was  a  statement  of  the  pensions.  It  was  taken  away  on  the  10th  of 
August,  and  probably  mixed  with  a  number  of  other  things  carried  to 
the  commune  of  Paris.  The  Assembly  having  decreed  that  charitable 
pensions  should  be  continued,  and  not  finding  the  statement  of  them, 
passed  another  decree,  authorizing  the  pensioners  to  demand  certifi- 
cates from  the  officers  or  sub-officers  of  the  Queen's  chambers ;  as 
there  was  no  longer  in  France  either  superintendent  or  lady  of  honour, 
the  first  femmes  de  chambre  were,  after  the  reduction,  authorized  to 
give  these  certificates.  The  supply  of  the  privy  purse  was  handed 
over  on  the  first  of  every  month  to  the  Queen.  M.  Randon  de  la  Tour 
presented  her  this  sum  at  noon,  the  hour  of  her  toilette ;  it  was  always 
in  gold,  and  contained  in  a  white  leather  purse  lined  with  taffety  and 
embroidered  with  silver.  The  funds  of  the  privy  purse  amounted  to 
three  hundred  thousand  livres ;  the  monthly  divisions  of  them  were 
not  equal;  the  January  purse  was  the  richest;  those  which  corre- 
sponded in  point  of  time  with  the  affairs  of  St.  Germain  and  St. 
Laurent,  were  also  richer  than  the  others.  This  was  an  ancient  eti- 
quette, arising  from  a  custom,  which  was  formerly  in  use,  for  the 


HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS.  293 

Kings  to  present  the  Queens  with  money,  to  enable  them  to  make  pur- 
chases at  the  fairs.  This  sum  of  three  hundred  thousand  livres  was 
merely  play-money  for  the  Queen,  or  for  acts  of  beneficence,  or  any 
presents  she  might  be  desirous  of  making.  Her  toilette  was  furnished 
from  other  sources,  even  to  her  rouge  aad  gloves.  The  Queen  retained 
all  the  old  pensioners  of  Maria  Leckzinska,  the  wife  of  Louis  XV.  She 
paid  out  of  her  three  hundred  thousand  livres,  to  the  amount  of  eighty 
thousand  livres  annually,  in  pensions  or  alms,  and  saved  out  of  the 
rest.  Every  mouth  the  first  woman  put  away  two  or  three  hundred 
louis,  which  had  not  been  spent,  in  a  strong  chest  in  the  Queen's  inner 
closet.  Out  of  these  savings,  the  Queen,  in  the  course  of  several 
years,  paid  for  a  pair  of  ear-rings,  formed  of  pear-shaped  diamonds  of 
equal  size,  and  a  single  diamond,  which  she  bought  of  Boehmer,  the 
jeweller,  in  1774.  They  were  not  completely  paid  for  until  1780. 
Having  seen  that  the  young  Queen  took  so  much  time  to  discharge,  out 
of  her  savings,  a  debt  she  had  contracted  for  an  article  that  had 
tempted  her,  and  which  she  did  not  like  to  make  the  public  money  pay 
for,  Boehmer  ought  never  to  have  lent  himself  to  the  belief,  that  eight 
or  ten  years  afterwards,  she  would,  without  the  King's  knowledge, 
have  purchased  an  ornament  at  fifteen  hundred  thousand  livres.  But 
the  desire  to  dispose  of  so  expensive  an  article  as  the  famous  necklace, 
the  history  of  which  is  so  generally,  and  at  the  same  time  so  imper- 
fectly known,  and  the  hope  of  being  paid  in  some  way  or  other, 
induced  him  to  believe  that  which  he  ought  not  to  have  thought  even 
probable.  The  Queen  had  more  than  one  hundred  and  ten  thousand 
livres  in  gold,  in  her  apartment  at  the  Tuilcries,  a  few  days  before" 
the  10th  of  August;  deceived  by  an  artful  fellow,  who  called  himself 
the  friend  of  Petion,  and  promised  to  interest  him  for  the  King  in  case 
of  any  attack  upon  the  Tuileries,  she  preserved  but  fifteen  hundred 
louis  in  gold,  which  were  taken  to  the  Assembly  on  the  taking  of  the 
Tuileries.  She  had  changed  eighty  and  some  odd  thousands  into 
assignats,  to  make  up  a  sum  of  one  hundred  thousand  francs,  which 
was  to  be  remitted  to  the  mayor.  It  was  agreed  that  Petion  should 
make  a  private  signal  on  seeing  the  King  on  the  9th  of  August;  but  he 
did  not  make  it,  and'  this  circumstance,  and  still  more  his  conduct  on 
the  disastrous  10th,  produced  a  conviction,  that  the  mediator  was  nothing 
more  than  a  mere  thief. 

The  Queen's  privy  purse  being  thus  prudently  administered,  and 
having  always  exceeded  her  wants,  and  as  she  had  even  made  some  in- 
vestments of  money,  it  is  not  difficult  to  give  credit  to  an  important 
truth,  namely,  that  she  never  drew  any  extraordinary  sum  from  the 
public  treasury.  She  was,  however,  unjustly  accused  of  having  done 
so,  in  all  the  provinces,  and  even  in  Paris,  where  people  most  distin- 
guished for  rank  and  education  adopt  and  promulgate  opinions  unfa- 
vourable to  the  great,  with  unaccountable  levity. 


HISTORICAL    ILLUSTRATIONS, 

AND 

OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS. 


Note  (A).  Page  67. 

THE  DUKE  D'AIGUILLON,  grand-nephew  of  Cardinal  de  Richelieu,  was 
the  dauphin's  intimate  friend ;  and  that  which  the  prince,  on  account 
of  the  discretion  necessary  in  the  heir  to  the  crown,  could  only  contem- 
plate, the  duke  executed.  Choiseul,  on  the  other  hand,  born  in  Lorraine, 
and  the  son  of  an  ambassador  of-  the  husband  of  Maria  Theresa,  a 
foreigner  in  France,  a  subject  and  relative  of  the  Emperor,  was  wholly 
devoted  to  the  interests  of  the  court  of  Vienna,  and  strong  in  the  power 
of  Madame  de  Pompadour,  whom  the  Empress  had  intoxicated  with 
pride  and  vanity,  by  calling  her  cousin,  and  making  her  suitable  pre- 
sents ;  he  was  supported  by  all  the  influence  of  the  parliaments,  of 
which  he  called  himself  the  protector,  and  was  the  declared  enemy  of 
the  Jesuits,  ever  since  he  had  manifested  his  hatred  to  their  general  at 
Rome. 

These  circumstances,  and  his  extraordinary  vanity,  rendered  him 
careless  as  to  making  his  court  to  the  dauphin,  who  held  opinions  dia- 
metrically opposite  to  his  own,  respecting  the  King's  authority  over  the 
parliaments,  and  the  policy  of  France  with  respect  to  the  house  of 
Austria.  Bold  and  vain,  yet  reflecting  and  profound,  with  a  great  deal 
of  consistency  and  perseverance  in  his  schemes,  he  possessed  all  the  re- 
quisite qualities,  for  becoming  with  impunity  the  primary  agent  of  the 
court  of  Vienna  in  France,  at  a  time  when  the  King  appeared  subdued 
by  fear;  for  confirming  the  alliance  of  1756,  driving  the  Abbe"  de  Bernis 
from  an  administration  in  which  he  had  not  done  enough  for  the  court 
of  Vienna,  and  destroying,  no  matter  by  what  means,  every  obstacle 
raised  against  his  plans.  Born  to  a  fortune  below  mediocrity,  and 
having  but  little  to  lose,  his  system  presented  to  him  the  prospect  of 
that  pomp  and  power,  which  we  have  since  seen  him  attain.  To  gain 
and  to  secure  them,  he  had,  in  the  legation  from  Vienna,  in  Madame  de 
Grammont,  his  sister,  a  politic  and  intrepid  woman,  and  in  the  King's 
favourite  mistress,  a  council  amply  provided  with  powerful  means  of 
promoting  his  objects. 

The  Duke  d'Aiguillon,  his  enemy,  held  very  different  principles. 
Constantly  supported  in  secret  by  the  dauphin,  in  all  his  opposition  to 
the  new  policy,  inheriting  all  the  principles  of  his  great  uncle  Riche- 
lieu, who  established  despotism  in  France,  and  was  the  founder  of  the 
hatred  of  the  Bourbons  against  the  house  of  Austria,  he  was  incapable 
of  conducting  the  business  of  the  state  otherwise  than  by  following  th« 


HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS.  295 

system  of  a  military  government :  as  a  friend  of  the  dauphin,  he  daily, 
but  secretly  lamented  with  him  over  the  Austiian  alliance ;  he  loved  the 
Jesuits,  and  was  the  secret  foe  of  the  parliaments,  which  showed  a 
strong  inclination  in  favour  of  liberty.  He  detested  the  new  philoso- 
phers, and  formed  a  powerful  party  against  them,  at  the  head  of  the 
Jesuits  of  St.  Sulpice,  and  the  bigots  of  the  court.  The  Choiseul  party 
had  everything  to  fear,  while  the  Aiguillon  party  had  everything  to 
hope,  from  a  new  reign,  and  the  accession  of  the  dauphin  to  the  crown. 
Such  were  the  two  characters,  and  the  two  opposite  systems  of  govern- 
ment, by  which  France  was  agitated  towards  the  close  of  the  reign  of 
Louis  XV. 

On  the  one  hand,  the  Duke  de  Choiseul,  with  his  Austrian  alliance, 
Lis  Jansenists,  parliaments  and  philosophers,  attacks  the  Jesuits  within, 
and  sacrifices  the  glory  and  preponderance  of  France  without,  to  the 
interests  and  the  vanity  of  the  house  of  Austria.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  Duke  d' Aiguillon,  siding  with  the  Jesuits,  either  to  save  them  from 
falling,  or  to  set  them  up  again,  after  their  fall,  labours  with  them  to 
ruin  the  parliaments,  and  establish  absolute  authority.  While  forging 
fetters  for  the  nation,  D' Aiguillon  was  desirous  to  free  the  second-rate 
powers  in.  friendship  with  France,  from  the  thraldom  in  which  they 
were  held  by  the  monstrous  union  of  the  three  great  powers,  France, 
Eussia,  and  Austria.  The  Duke  de  Choiseul,  in  forming  that  union, 
was  preparing  for  the  subjection  of  Poland,  Prussia,  and  Turkey,  at 
some  distant  period.  So  that  the  Duke  d'Choiseul,  by  his  principles, 
became  the  tyrant  of  the  inferior  powers,  frightened  as  they  were  by 
the  grand  alliance,  and  favoured  liberty  in  the  interior  of  France ; 
while  D' Aiguillon  sought  to  relieve  the  inferior  powers,  and  tyrannize 
over  the  interior.  And  thus  with  Choiseuls,  Grammonts,  and  Pompa- 
dours, the  Duke  de  Choiseul  annihilated  the  system  of  Henry  IV.,  of 
the  Richelieus,  Davauxs,  Mazarins  of  Louis  XIV.,  of  the  Serviens,  of 
the  Belle-Isles,  and  even  of  Cardinal  Fleury,  who  twice  made  war  upon 
Austria,  and  took  from  her,  either  by  force  or  treaty,  the  kingdom  of 
Naples  and  the  two  Sicilies,  Lorraine  and  Barrois.  And  thus,  on  the 
other  hand,  D' Aiguillon  laboured  to  strengthen  the  despotism  establish- 
ed by  his  great  uncle  in  the  interior.  (Historical  and  Political  Memoirs 
of  the  reign  of  Louis  XVI.,  by  Soulavie,  vol.  i.) 

Note  (B),  Page  76. 

"  Some  time  before  the  ambassador's  departure,  there  happened  to 
me,"  says  the  Abb6  Georgel,  "an  adventure  which  became  the  source 
of  most  important  discoveries ;  and  the  happy  consequences  of  which 
rank  among  the  most  valuable  services  rendered  by  the  embassy  of 
Prince  Louis  de  Rohan. 

"  Returning  one  evening  to  the  hotel,  the  porter  gave  me  a  note  care- 
fully sealed  up,  and  addressed  to  me ;  I  read  as  follows :  Be  to-night, 
between  eleven  and  twelve,  at  (a  particular  place  upon  the  ramparts) — and 
you  will  be  informed  of  matters  of  the  very  highest  importance. — An  anony- 
mous note  of  this  tenor,  sent  so  mysteriously,  and  the  unseasonable 
hour  appointed,  might  have  appeared  to  some  altogether  dangerous  and 
suspicious.  But  I  was  not  aware  that  I  had  any  enemies,  and  desirous 
not  to  have  to  reproach  myself  with  having  missed  an  opportunity  that 
might  never  occur  again,  of  promoting  the  King's  service,  I  determined 
to  attend  at  the  appointed  place.  But  I  took  some  prudential  precau- 

20* 


:.'9G  HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS 

tions,  by  placing  within  a  certain  distance,  where  they  could  not  be 
seen,  two  persons  on  whom  I  could  rely,  to  come  to  my  assistance  upon 
a  signal  agreed  on.  I  found  at  the  place  of  meeting,  a  man  wrapped 
in  a  cloak  and  masked."  He  put  some  papers  into  my  hands,  and  said 
in  an  under  and  feigned  voice:  "You  have  gained  my  confidence;  I 
will  therefore  contribute  to  the  success  of  M.,  the  Prince  de  Rohan's 
embassy.  These  papers  will  inform  you  of  the  very  essential  services 
which  it  is  in  my  power  to  render  you.  If  you  approve  of  them,  come 

again   to-morrow  to" another   place  which   he   mentioned,    "and 

bring  me  a  thousand  ducats."  On  my  return  to  the  Hotel  de  France,  I 
hastened  to  examine  the  papers  confided  to  me.  Their  contents  gave 
me  the  most  agreeable  surprise.  I  saw  that  we  had  it  in  our  power  to 
procure,  twice  a  week,  all  the  discoveries  of  the  secret  cabinet  of  Vienna, 
which  was  the  best  served  cabinet  of  Europe.  This  secret  cabinet  pos- 
sessed, in  the  highest  degree,  the  art  of  deciphering  quickly  the 
despatches  of  ambassadors,  and  of  the  courts  which  correspond  with  its 
court.  I  was  convinced  by  the  deciphering  of  our  own  despatches,  and 
those  of  our  court  to  us  ;  even  those  that  were  written  in  the  most  com- 
plicated and  the  newest  ciphers ;  that  this  cabinet  had  found  means  to 
procure  the  despatches  of  several  European  courts,  of  their  envoys  and 
agents,  through  the  infidelity  and  audacity  of  the  frontier  directors  and 
postmasters,  bribed  for  that  purpose.  In  order  to  convince  me  of  this, 
I  received  copies  of  the  despatches  of  the  Count  de  Vergennes,  our 
ambassador  at  Stockholm ;  of  the  Marquis  de  Pens,  at  Berlin  ;  of  some 
private  despatches  from  the  King  of  Prussia,  to  his  secret  agents  at 
Vienna  and  Paris,  to  whom  alone  he  confided  the  true  line  of  his  policy, 
and  of  whose  mission  his  avowed  envoys  were  utterly  ignorant.  The 
same  cabinet  had  discovered  the  most  secret  correspondence  of  the  pri- 
vate policy  of  Louis  XV.,  a  correspondence  wholly  unknown  to  his 
council,  and  his  minister  for  foreign  affairs.  Count  Broglie,  who  had 
succeeded  the  late  Prince  de  Conti,  was  the  private  and -most  carefully 
concealed  minister  of  this  extraordinary  diplomacy.  He  had  for  his 
secretary,  M.  Favier,  whose  diplomatic  works  have  procured  him  some 
reputation,  and  subsequently  M.  Dumouriez,  a  pupil  of  Favier.  The 
mystery  of  this  policy  was  not  confided  to  all  our  ambassadors.  Some- 
times it  was  the  secretary  of  the  embassy,  or  any  other  Frenchman, 
who,  travelling  under  various  pretences,  was  found  a  proper  person  to 
act  this  part.  Count  Broglie  gave  the  thread  of  this  labyrinth  to  such 
persons  alone,  whose  attachment  and  discretion  he  had  proved.  So 
marked  a  confidence,  and  relations  so  intimate  with  the  King,  who 
himself  paid  out  of  his  privy  purse  for  this  mysterious  duty,  could  not 
but  flatter  those  who  were  thus  honoured.  Count  Broglie,  being  hostile 
to  the  house  of  Rohan,  had  taken  very  good  care  not  to  lot  Prince  Louis 
de  Rohan  or  myself  into  such  a  correspondence.  His  distrust  was  ap- 
parently founded  on  a  correct  motive,  and  I  will  not  blame  him  for  it. 
Among  the  papers  delivered  to  me  at  the  nocturnal  rendezvous,  was  the 
deciphered  correspondence  of  Count  Broglie  with  the  Count  de  Ver- 
gennes, our  ambassador  at  Stockholm.  Furnished  with  these  documents, 
and  armed  with  unquestionable  proofs  of  their  authenticity,  I  instantly 
went  post-haste  to  communicate  them  to  the  ambassador.  I  laid  before 
him  the  samples  of  the  political  magazine  from  which  we  might  supply 
ourselves.  The  prince  felt  the  value  of  it,  especially  to  himself  per- 
sonally, inasmuch  as  this  important  discovery  must  necessarily  efface 
*lie  unpleasant  improppinns,  which  tho  fhiko  d'Aijriiillon  had  not  failed 


AND  OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS.  297 

to  make  upon  the  king's  mind,  by  representing  to  him,  that  Prince  Louis, 
too  light,  and  too  much  taken  up  with  the  pursuits  of  pleasure,  was  not 
so  watchful  at  Vienna,  as  the  good  of  the  service  required.  This  event 
restored  him  all  that  cheerfulness,  which  the  underhand  and  unremit- 
ting persecution  of  that  sullen  and  malicious  minister  had  deprived  him 
of.  He  looked  upon  the  new  part  he  was  about  to  play,  as  a  certain 
opening  to  that  high  reputation,  which  his  conduct  and  industry  merited. 

"I  met  the  masked  man  on  the  following  night.  I  gave  him  the 
thousand  ducats :  he  handed  to  me  other  papers  of  increasing  in- 
terest, and  during  my  whole  stay  at  Vienna,  he  kept  his  word.  Our 
meetings  took  place  twice  a  week,  and  always  about  midnight.  The 
ambassador  wisely  decided,  that  the  occupation  arising  from  this  dis- 
covery should  be  confined  to  him  and  myself,  with  an  old  secretary, 
whose  discretion  we  knew  would  stand  any  trial.  The  secretary 
copied  for  the  court  the  papers  of  the  masked  man,  to  whom  we  were 
obliged  to  return  them. 

"A  courier  extraordinary  was  immediately  despatched  to  Versailles 
with  the  first  fruits  of  the  newly-discovered  treasure.  He  was  ordered 
not  to  go  to  bed  on  his  way,  and  to  carry  about  his  person  the  special 
packet  of  secret  despatches  to  the  very  end  of  his  journey.  The 
courier  was  the  bearer  of  two  packets  ;  the  first  was  addressed  to  the 
King,  in  an  envelope  directed  to  the  Prince  de  Soubise,  a  minister  of 
state,  a  friend  of  Louis  XV.  and  cousin  of  the  ambassador.  The 
Prince  de  Soubise  was  to  hand  it  immediately  and  personally  to  his 
majesty.  The  King  was  entreated  to  transmit  his  orders,  in  conse- 
quence, through  the  same  channel,  which  was  safe  against  any  impru- 
dence. This  first  packet  contained  the  proofs  of  Count  Broglie's 
mysterious  correspondence,  authorized  by  his  majesty.  Louis  XV.  was 
assured,  that  in  transmitting  other  discoveries  to  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon, 
the  strictest  precautions  had  been  taken,  in  order  that  that  minister 
might  have  no  clue  to  the  private  correspondence,  the  knowledge  of 
which  the  King  had  thought  proper  to  conceal  from  him.  The  second 
packet  was  addressed  to  the  minister  direct.  It  contained  copies  of 
the  intercepted  Prussian  despatches  as  well  as  of  other  private  de- 
spatches from  the  Austrian  ministry  to  the  imperial  ambassador  at 
Paris.  In  the  latter,  the  Count  de  Mercy  was  instructed  as  to  the 
public  and  private  conduct  he  should  pursue,  under  such  and  such 
circumstances,  either  with  respect  to  the  King,  or  Madame  the  dau- 
phiness,  and  our  administration.  A  separate  letter  communicated  the 
manner  in  which  this  disclosure  was  made :  this  letter  informed  the 
minister  that  I  was  the  indirect  agent  in  it.  Our  courier  returned 
promptly.  It  is  my  duty  here  to  speak  the  truth,  and  do  complete 
justice  to  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon.  The  Prince  de  Soubise  informed  his 
cousin,  that  the  minister  had  spoken  at  the  council,  in  the  warmest  and 
most  nattering  terms,  of  the  importance  of  this  discovery,  and  the  signal 
service  rendered  to  the  state  by  the  ambassador.  The  official  despatch  of 
M.  d'Aiguillon,  and  a  letter  in  his  own  hand,  of  which  I  have  the  original, 
are  couched  in  language  which  seems  to  efface  even  the  slightest  traces 
of  the  coolness  and  dislike  till  then  shown. 

"  '  I  sincerely  and  feelingly  share,'  said  he,  'both  in  the  satisfaction 
with  which  the  King  acknowledges  your  service,  and  the  credit  which 
this  discovery  throws  upon  your  mission.'  The  ambassador  is  afterwards 
recommended  to  preserve  the  thread  of  this  secret  and  important  com- 
munication at  any  price;  and  a  carte  blanche  is  given  to  both  him  and 


298  HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS 

myself,  for  the  sums  we  should  judge  useful  or  necessary  for  that 
purpose. 

"  The  King,  who  had  put  the  Prince  de  Soubise  in  possession  of  the 
secret  of  his  private  policy,  confessed  to  him  that  our  discovery  had 
created  terror  among  the  chief  agents  of  the  secret  administration. 
Count  Broglie,  in  particular,  was  very  much  alarmed  at  it.  He 
dreaded,  from  the  known  disposition  of  Louis  XV.,  all  the  consequences 
which  might  follow  in  case  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon  should  happen  to 
penetrate  the  veil,  to  him  till  then  impenetrable.  His  majesty  reassured 
him,  by  informing  him  of  the  precautions  taken,  and  the  formal  order 
given  by  him  to  Prince  Louis,  to  preserve  the  most  inviolable  secrecy 
on  this  subject.  Such  an  order  had  in  fact  been  transmitted  by  the 
Prince  de  Soubise,  accompanied  by  the  most  flattering  and  honourable 
testimonies  of  the  King's  satisfaction  and  good-will. 

"  After  this  discovery,  an  extraordinary  courier  was  sent  off  every 
fortnight  with  the  new  communications,  with  the  same  care  and  pre- 
cautions as  before.  The  absence  and  excursions  of  the  ambassador, 
and  even  his  return  home,  during  a  whole  year  that  I  remained  alone 
charged  with  the  King's  business,  neither  interrupted  nor  opposed  any 
obstacle  to  the  departure  of  couriers  thus  important.  The  masked 
man  even  seemed  to  redouble  his  zeal  at  every  succeeding  interview." 

Note  (C),  Page  76. 

"To  great  distrust  of  his  own  powers,"  says  the  Abbe  Georgel, 
"and  a  total  surrender  of  will  in  the  affairs  of  the  government  of  his 
kingdom,  Louis  XV.  added  excessive  curiosity  to  know  the  secret  of 
the  intrigues  of  his  court,  the  reports  circulated  about  Paris,  the 
private  lives  of  his  ministers,  and  their  conduct  in  the  concerns  of 
their  offices.  Besides  the  lieutenant  of  police,  he  had  secret  agents  at 
Versailles  and  Paris.  Laroche,  one  of  his  valets  de  chambre,  was  the 
medium  of  this  clandestine  inquisition.  Jeannet,  the  inspector  of  the 
post,  and  after  him  the  Baron  d'Ogny,  went  every  Sunday  to  the  King, 
to  give  him  an  account  of  the  discoveries  they  had  made,  by  opening 
letters.  These  two  confidants  made  extracts  for  the  King,  from  such 
letters  as  they  thought  proper  to  unseal.  The  ministers  themselves 
are  subjected  to  this  unaccountable  inquisition.  The  danger  of  such  a 
practice  is  sufficiently  obvious,  when  we  reflect  on  the  possibility  of 
either  animosity  or  personal  interest,  or  in  short  any  private  motives 
interfering  with  these  extracts.  Twenty  clerks,  unknown  to  the  admi- 
nistration, were  night  and  day  secretly  occupied  in  intercepting  letters, 
and  making  extracts  from  them.  It  was  by  these  means  that  Louis 
XV.  discovered  the  correspondence  of  the  Count  d'Argenson  with  one 
of  his  favourite  mistresses,  in  which  that  minister,  so  much  distinguished 
by  his  master,  expressed  himself  with  very  little  reserve  or  respect, 
respecting  the  King's  character.  His  sudden  and  unexpected  disgrace 
followed  very  close  upon  the  violation  of  the  letters. 

"  In  accordance  with  his  mistrustful  and  inquisitive  disposition,  this 
monarch  had  likewise  contrived  for  himself  a  secret  administration  in 
the  European  courts,  absolutely  unknown  to  the  minister  for  foreign 
affairs.  The  King,  to  whom  this  mystery  was  a  positive  enjoyment, 
was  desirous  of  judging  by  these  means  of  the  conduct  of  his  ministers 
at  the  several  courts,  and  comparing  their  reports  with  those  transmit- 
ted to  him  by  his  secret  administration :  the  agents  and  correspondents 


AND  OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS.  299 

of  this  dark  policy  were  paid  by  the  King  himself,  out  of  his  private 
purse.  They  were  selected  by  the  secret  minister,  who  transacted  the 
business  immediately  with  his  majesty,  and  vouched  to  him  for  the 
prudence  of  the  persons  to  whom,  through  his  instrumentality,  the 
King's  instructions  were  intrusted.  The  thickest  veil  was  spread  over 
this  concealed  diplomacy.  The  secret  minister  attended  the  King  by 
intricate  ways  known  only  to  the  confidential  valet  de  chambre  who 
introduced  him,  on  appointed  days  and  hours. 

"For  conducting  this  correspondence,  the  preference  was  given 
either  to  an  ambassador,  or  to  a  secretary,  when  his  discretion  could 
be  relied  on ;  but  if  it  was  thought  right  to  keep  the  knowledge  of  it 
from  both  of  them,  measures  were  taken  for  sending  and  keeping  near 
them  the  instruments  of  this  antiministerial  league.  Thus,  during 
the  embassy  of  the  Prince  de  Rohan,  Count  Broglie  sent  the  young 
Count  de  Guibert  to  travel  in  Germany,  who,  under  various  pretences, 
stayed  at  Venice  for  a  long  period  of  time. 

"  Having  had  opportunities  of  making  inquiries  respecting  this 
strange  policy  of  Louis  XV.,  I  have  been  assxired,  by  well -in  formed 
persons,  that  it  was  suggested  to  him  by  the  old  Abb6  de  Broglie,  the 
uncle  of  the  marshal  and  the  count." 

To  these  interesting  particulars  must  be  added  those  which  the  Abbe" 
Soulavie  gives  of  the  secret  administration  of  Louis  XV.,  of  the  espio- 
nage over  the  courts,  and  the  violation  of  letters.  From  what  we  have 
just  read,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Abb6  Soulavie  was  often  well  informed, 
and  sometimes  veracious :  the  two  testimonies  support  each  other. 

"The  house  of  Austria  succeeded  in  procuring  a  knowledge  of  the 
contents  of  our  political  despatches  from  the  north  and  south  ;  but  Prince 
Louis  de  Rohan,  our  ambassador,  availing  himself  of  his  influence 
amongst  the  ladies,  got  copies  of  the  confidential  letters  from  the 
Emperor  to  the  King  of  Prussia,  and  of  those  from  the  Prince  de  Kaunitz 
to  the  Count  de  Mercy,  the  ambassador  of  Maria  Theresa  at  Versailles. 
The  two  courts  spent  immense  sums  towards  the  close  of  the  late  King's 
reign,  not  to  promote  their  union,  but  to  spy,  to  sound,  and  to  find  out 
each  other,  especially  with  relation  to  the  affairs  of  Poland. 

"  Prince  Louis,  since  Cardinal  de  Rohan,  succeeded  in  making  im- 
portant discoveries  on  that  subject.  He  sent  to  his  court  the  secret 
papers  relative  to  the  interviews  of  Frederick  and  Joseph  II.,  at  Neiss 
and  Newstadt,  having  procured,  by  bribery,  direct  intelligence  from 
his  chancery.  The  Prince  de  Kaunitz,  who  had  a  similar  insight  him- 
self into  our  cabinet  at  Versailles,  got  at  the  source  of  the  treachery  in 
his  offices,  and  had  one  of  the  clerks  drowned  in  the  Danube.  Prince 
Louis,  undismayed  at  this,  gained  over  others  in  the  offices  of  the 
Prince  de  Kaunitz,  and  even  penetrated  into  the  interior  apartments  of 
the  Empress  and  her  son.  He  learnt  that  Austria  was  about  to  join 
Russia  against  the  Porte  and  France,  and  had  the  good  fortune  to  pre- 
vent the  disasters  that  Austria  might  have  brought  on  our  ally.  He 
also  succeeded  in  intercepting  the  letters  from  Kaunitz  to  the  Count  de 
Mercy,  the  Austrian  ambassador  in  France ;  he  thereby  learned  that 
the  court  of  Vienna  had  obtained  copies  of  the  despatches  from  the 
Prince  de  Rohan  to  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon.  The  Count  de  Mercy  had 
traitors  in  his  pay  at  court,  about  Louis  XV.,  and  in  the  offices  of  the 
Duke  d'Aiguillon,  who  preferred  the  pecuniary  rewards  of  the  Prince 
de  Kaunitz  to  the  sentimental  satisfaction  felt  by  a  good  Frenchman  in 
his  fidelity.  Louis  XV.  indignantly  ordered  each  of  his  mipisters, 


300  HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS 

teparalely,  to  give  him  their  suspicions  in  writing,  that  he  might  unmask 
the  Austrian  courtier. 

"  Prince  Louis,  on  his  part,  procured  copies  of  the  correspondence 
of  the  Prince  de  Kaunitz  with  ftie  Austrian  ambassador,  at  Petersburg. 
The  policy  of  the  house  of  Austria  towards  Catherine  II.,  was  again 
exposed  in  it.  The  Count  de  Mercy,  who  was  informed  of  these  letters 
being  communicated  by  Rohan  to  Louis  XV.,  informed  Maria  Theresa 
of  it ;  and  Rohan  apprised  his  own  court,  that  the  Prince  de  Kaunitz, 
being  on  a  wrong  scent,  had  taken  the  precaution  to  have  the  locks  of 
his  closet  changed,  confiding  the  deposit  of  the  most  important  despatches 
to  none  but  his  secretary.  These  diplomatic  anecdotes  demonstrate 
the  mistrust  and  solicitude  of  the  two  courts  of  Vienna  and  Versailles, 
during  the  administration  of  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon,  and  explain  the 
implacable  anger  of  Marie  Antoinette  with  respect  to  him,  when  she 
was  become  Queen  of  France. 

"  On  the  10th  of  January,  1774,  Prince  Louis  informed  the  court, 
that  the  Prince  de  Kaunitz  had  succeeded  in  purchasing  the  ciphers  of 
his  correspondence  with  the  King,  and  with  our  ambassadors  at  Con- 
stantinople, Stockholm,  Dantzic,  and  Petersburg.  He  did  more ;  he 
proved  to  Louis  XV.  that  the  court  of  Vienna  had  deciphered  copies 
of  all  the  despatches  between  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon  and  the  minister 
of  every  court  in  Europe.  To  prove  this,  he  sent  extracts  from  copies 
of  letters  from  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon  to  Berlin,  Munich,  Dresden,  and 
Petersburg.  He  learnt  that  the  offices  of  interception  were  Liege, 
Brussels,  Frankfort,  and  Ratisbon ;  and  that  the  machinery  of  our 
ciphers  was  at  that  time  such,  that  the  Austrian  decipherers  were  able, 
•without  much  difficulty,  to  write  out  our  despatches.  '  From  my 
closet,'  said  Prince  Louis,  '  I  read  all  the  correspondence  of  which  I 
speak;  I  learn  the  secrets  that  the  ministers  think  proper  to  withhold 
from  me,  in  the  letters  they  write  to  me.  There  it  was  that  I  learned, 
and  stated  in  a  private  letter  delivered  to  the  King  by  the  Prince  de 
Soubise,  that  the  Count  de  Broglie  had,  during  his  exile,  and  with  his 
majesty's  sanction,  continued  his  secret  correspondence  with  M. 
Durand,  at  Petersburg,  and  with  other  ministers.  To  this  letter  were 
annexed  the  ciphers  they  made  use  of. — Since  this  information,  so  for- 
tunately acquired  and  eagerly  communicated  to  our  ministry,  I  have 
never  ceased  to  dwell  upon  the  necessity  of  a  change  of  ciphers ;  I  am 
still  without  any  sure  means  for  conveying  the  secret  instructions  I 
have  to  transmit  to  Constantinople,  Stockholm,  and  Petersburg.  All 
the  despatches  of  Prince  Kaunitz,  and  all  those  of  foreign  princes  that 
are  intercepted,  pass  through  what  is  here  called  the  cabinet  of  decipher- 
ers. Baron  Pichler  is  at  the  head  of  it.  He  transacts  business  only 
with  the  Empress,  and  renders  accounts  of  his  proceedings  to  none  but 
herself.  Pichler  delivers  five  copies  to  her,  one  for  the  Emperor,  one 
for  the  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany,  the  eventual  successor  to  the  Austrian 
monarchy ;  one  is  sent  to  Brussels  to  Prince  Stahremberg,  intended  to 
succeed  the  Prince  de  Kaunitz ;  and  one  to  Count  de  Rosemberg,  a 
confidant.  Each  returns  his  copy  to  the  Empress,  with  marginal 
observations;  and  upon  these  observations,  political  projects  and  reso- 
lutions are  founded  The  Empress  has  sometimes  additions  or  omissions 
made  in  the  intercepted  despatches,  when  she  desires  that  certain 
counsels  or  information,  which  she  does  not  wish  to  appear  to  emanate 
from  her,  should  reach  the  Emperor." — (Historical  and  Political  Me- 
moirs of  the  Reign  of  Louis  XVI.,  by  Soulavie,  vol.  iii.) 


AND  OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS.  301 

Note  (D),  Page  91. 

This  account  of  the  characters  of  the  court,  discloses  the  party 
spirit  which  the  Empress  fomented  in  France.  She  charged  the  Count 
de  Mercy  to  keep  it  up ;  she  pointed  out,  without  exception,  all  the 
Lorrainers,  born  in  a  province  which  was  the  cradle  of  her  husband, 
Francis  I.,  and  in  which  the  house  of  Austria  carefully  preserved  a 
party  which  never  forgot  its  ancient  sovereigns.  This  was  a  founda- 
tion-stone in  the  policy  of  the  house  of  Austria.  Attachment,  without 
too  positive  engagements,  was  suitable  to  the  refined  policy  of  a  skilful 
woman,  who  knew  how  to  colour  and  conceal  her  sentiments.  The 
Duke  de  Choiseul  is  properly  at  the  head  of  the  list ;  he  was  the  leader 
of  the  Lorraine  and  Austrian  party ;  he  first  organized  it  in  France. 
The  Montazets  were  absolutely  sold  to  the  party,  so  that  subsequently, 
the  Abb6  de  Montazet  became  Archbishop  of  Lyons,  through  the  inte- 
rest of  the  Duke  de  Choiseul,  for  his  Jansenistic  opinions,  and  for  the 
spirit  of  persecution  which  he  displayed  against  the  Sulpicians  and  the 
Jesuit  party  in  general. 

As  to  the  Count  de  Broglie,  the  Empress  must  have  been  completely 
deceived  by  that  skilful  politician.  He  was  the  director  of  the  famous 
secret  correspondence,  which  incessantly  laboured  against  the  interest 
of  Maria  Theresa,  by  secretly  thwarting  the  Austrian  alliance  of  1756. 

Count  de  Broglie  was  not  a  man  to  sell  his  secret  and  his  country. 
lie  was  even  persecuted  by  the  Prince  de  Kaunitz :  the  recommenda- 
tion, then,  of  the  Count  de  Broglie,  is  the  result  of  some  of  those 
incomprehensible  acts  of  diplomatists  who  are  skilled  in  the  art  of  dis- 
guising their  principles,  when  they  have  any,  or  affecting  a  great  variety 
of  them,  according  to  circumstances.  The  profound  secrecy  constantly 
kept  by  the  agents  of  the  private  correspondence,  under  the  Count  de 
Broglie,  induces  a  belief,  that  he  was  among  the  number  of  the  former. 
(Historical  and  Political  Memoirs  of  the  Reign  of  Louis  XVI.,  by  Soulavie.) 

Note  (E),  Page  92. 

The  Abb6  Georgel,  secretary  to  the  embassy  at  Vienna,  a  man  of 
talent,  of  whom  we  have  before  spoken,  in  page  91  of  this  volume,  thus 
relates  the  re,call  of  the  cardinal  in  his  memoirs.  His  narrative,  in  some 
respects,  confirms  that  of  Madame  Campan.  Nothing  illustrates  history 
so  well  as  this  accordance  between  different  testimonies. 

"  On  the  departure  of  Prince  Louis  de  llohan  for  Compiegne,  where 
the  new  King  held  his  court,  I  remained  at  Vienna,  charged  with  the 
transaction  of  the  aifairs  of  France  witlithe  Austrian  ministry.  I  conse- 
quently received  instructions  to  contintie  the  negotiations  as  intrusted 
with  the  political  correspondence  with  our  ministry,  and  the  King's 
ambassador  at  Constantinople.  Upon  his  arrival,  the  Prince  de  llohan 
heard  of  the  complaints  of  Maria  Theresa,  and  the  steps  already  taken 
in  her  name  by  Marie  Antoinette  for  his  recall.  He  had  an  audience 
of  the  King:  it  was  short,  and  far  from  satisfactory.  Louis  XVI. 
listened  to  him  a  few  minutes,  and  then  abruptly  said,  '  I  will  soon  let 
you  know  my  pleasure.' 

"  He  never  could  obtain  an  audience  of  the  Queen,  and,  without 
deigning  to  receive  him,  she  sent  for  the  letter  which  her  mother,  the 
Empress  Maria  Theresa,  had  given  him  for  her.  His  relations  did  not 
conceal  from  him  that  the  prejudices  of  the  King  and  Queen  against 
him  were  very  strong.  They  advised  him  not  to  make  any  attempts  to 


302  HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS 

return  to  Vienna ;  saying  they  would  be  quite  thrown  away,  and  would 
only  give  more  publicity  to  las  disgrace.  The  new  minister  for  foreign 
affairs  was  still  at  Stockholm,  and  he  who  held  the  office  in  the  interim, 
had  not  sufficient  influence  to  second  any  request  of  Prince  Louis  to 
return  to  Vienna  with  effect ;  he  therefore  remained  in  this  state  of 
perplexity  and  suspense  more  than  two  months,  deeming  his  honour 
interested  in  his  return  to  his  embassy.  He  felt  himself  called  upon  to 
write  a  letter  to  the  King,  in  which  he  described  his  situation,  in  terms 
calculated  to  interest  the  monarch's  justice  and  feelings.  His  letter 
remained  unanswered ;  but  Louis  XVI.  told  the  Countess  de  Marsan, 
a  cousin  of  the  ambassador,  that  the  embassy  to  Vienna  was  intended 
for  a  man  preferred  by  the  Empress,  and  selected  by  the  Queen,  whom 
he  had  been  unable  to  refuse.  It  was  soon  understood  that  the  Baron 
de  Breteuil  was  the  person.  On  receiving  this  intelligence,  Prince  Louis 
could  no  longer  retain  any  doubt  of  his  complete  disgrace,  or  of  the 
mortifications  he  would  have  to  endure  under  the  new  reign." 

Note  (F),  Page  97. 

Christopher  de  Beaumont,  Archbishop  of  Paris,  the  ardent  apostle 
of  frequent  communion,  arrived  at  Paris  with  the  intention  of  soliciting 
in  public  the  administration  of  the  sacrament  to  the  King ;  and 
secretly  retarding  it  as  much  as  possible.  The  ceremony  could  not 
take  place  without  the  previous  and  public  expulsion  of  the  concubine, 
according  to  the  canons  of  the  church,  and  the  Jesuitical  party,  of 
which  Christopher  was  the  leader.  This  party,  which  had  made  use 
of  Madame  Du  Barry  to  suppress  the  parliaments,  to  support  the  Duke 
d'Aiguillon,  and  ruin  the  Choiseul  faction,  did  not  very  willingly  con- 
sent to  disgrace  her  canonically,  after  such  striking  services.  The 
Archbishop  of  Paris  had  always  said  openly,  that  she  had  rendered  the 
most  signal  services  to  religion.*  This  monilist  party  was  joined  by 
the  Dukes  de  Richelieu,  de  Fronsac,  d'Aiguillon,  Bertin,  Maupeou, 
and  Terray.  Madame  du  Barry  being  their  support  with  the  weak 
and  pusillanimous  King,  they  were  bound  to  defend  her,  and  prevent  a 
degradation  and  retaliation,  such  as  the  Duchess  de  Chateauroux  had 
meditated  in  a  similar  case,  in  1745. 

The  opposite  party,  the  Choiseuls,  which  was  active  in  every  direc- 
tion, sought,  on  the  other  hand,  to  accelerate  a  religious  ceremony, 
which  was  to  annihilate  a  favourite,  who  had  driven  their  leader,  the 
Duke  de  Choiseul,  from  court.  It  was  amusing  to  see  the  latter  party, 
which  was  the  scourge  of  religion  in  France,  calling  it  in  to  their  aid, 
during  the  King's  sickness,  in  order  to  revenge  themselves  on  Madame 
du  Barry ;  while  the  party  of  the  archbishops  and  the  bigots,  in  their 
turn,  combined  to  prevent  Louis  XV.  from  receiving  the  sacrament. 
At  that  time  they  were  coolly  jobbing  and  bargaining  about  the  King's  con- 
science and  compunction,  said  the  Cardinal  du  Luynes  to  me. 

There  was  consequently  an  absolute  uproar  at  court.  The  question 
was,  whether  the  King  should,  or  should  not,  receive  the  sacrament  imme- 
diately. Must  we,  said  the  Marechal  de  Richelieu,  must  ice  suffer  Madame 
du  Barry  to  be  sent  away  with  ignominy,  and  can  we  forget  her  services,  and 
expose  ourselves  to  her  vengeance  in  case  of  her  return  ?  or  rather  shall  we 
await  the  extremity  of  the  invalid  to  effect  a  mere  separation,  and  proceed, 

*  That  the  rigid  Christopher  de  Beaumont  should  have  said  any  such  thing,  we 
think  very  doubtful ;  for  our  parts,  we  do  not  believe  a  word  of  it. — Note  by  tht 
Editor. 


AND  OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS.  303 

without  noise  or  exposure,  to  a  plain  administration  of  the  sacrament  ?  Such 
was  the  ferment,  and  such  the  state  of  men's  minds  at  court,  when  on 
the  1st  of  May,  the  Archbishop  of  Paris  presented  himself  for  the  first 
time  to  the  sick  monarch,  at  half  past  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
He  had  scarcely  reached  the  door  of  the  King's  antechamber,  when 
Marshal  Richelieu  went  to  meet  him,  and  conjured  him  not  to  kill  the 
King  by  a  theological  proposition,*  which  had  killed  so  many  sick  persons. 
"But  if  you  are  curious  to  hear  some  pretty  little  elegant  sins,"  said 
he  to  the  prelate,  "place  yourself  there,  Monsieur  Archbishop,  and  I 
will  confess,  and  teach  you  such  as  you  have  not  heard  since  you 
became  Archbishop  of  Paris.  If,  however,  you  will  absolutely  confess 
the  King,  and  repeat  here  the  scenes  of  the  Archbishop  of  Soissons,  at 
Metz ;  if  you  will  send  away  Madame  du  Barry  with  disgrace,  reflect 
on  the  consequences,  and  your  own  interests.  You  complete  the  tri- 
umph of  the  Duke  de  Choiseul,  your  inveterate  enemy,  from  whom 
Madame  du  Barry  has  contributed  so  much  to  deliver  you,  and  you 
persecute  your  friend  for  the  benefit  of  your  foe.  Yes,  sir ;  I  repeat 
it,  your  friend ;  and  so  much  is  she  your  friend,  that  she  said  to  me 
yesterday :  '  Let  the  archbishop  leave  us  alone  ;  he  shall  have  his  car- 
dinal's cap  ;  I  take  it  upon  myself,  and  will  answer  for  it.' " 

The  Archbishop  of  Paris  readily  understood  that  this  business  of 
the  sacrament  would  meet  with  considerable  opposition.  He  went  into 
the  King's  bedchamber,  and  found  there  Madame  Adelaide,  the  Duke 
d'Aumont,  the  Bishop  of  Senlis,  and  the  Marshal  Richelieu,  in  whose 
presence  the  archbishop  resolved  not  to  say  one  word  about  confession, 
for  that  day.  .  This  circumspection  so  pleased  Louis  XV.,  that  on  the 
archbishop's  withdrawing,  he  had  Madame  du  Barry  called  in,  and 
kissed  her  beautiful  hands  again,  with  his  wonted  affection. 

On  the  2d  of  May,  the  King  found  himself  a  little  better.  Madame 
du  Barry  had  brought  him  two  confidential  physicians,  Lorry  and 
Borden,  who  were  enjoined  to  conceal  the  nature  of  his  sickness  from 
him,  and  remain  silent  as  to  his  real  situation,  in  order  to  keep  off  the 
priests,  and  save  her  from  a  humiliating  dismissal.  The  King's  im- 
provement allowed  of  Madame  du  Barry's  resuming  her  free  manners 
with  him,  and  diverting  him  by  her  usual  playfulness  and  conversa- 
tion. Butia  Martiniere,  who  was  of  the  Choiseul  party,  and  to  whom 
they  durst  not  refuse  his  right  of  entry,  and  who  felt  offended  at  the 
confidence  placed  in  Lorry  and  Borden,  did  not  conceal  from  the  King 
either  the  nature  or  the  danger  of  his  sickness.  He  answered  his 
questions  as  to  the  nature  of  the  pustules,  which  multiplied  all  over 
him  in  a  frightful  manner:  "Sire,  these  pimples  are  three  days  in 
forming,  three  in  suppurating,  and  three  in  drying."  The  King,  who 
had  not  forgotten  that  he  had  had  the  small-pox,  being  convinced  of 
the  malignity  of  the  sickness,  sent  for  Madame  du  Barry,  and  said  to 
her:  "My  love,  I  have  got  the  small-pox,  and  my  illness  is  very  dan- 
gerous on  account  of  my  age  and  other  disorders.  I  ought  not  to  forget 
that  I  am  the  most  Christian  King,  and  the  eldest  son  of  the  church.  I  am 
sixty-four  ;  the  time  is  perhaps  approaching  when  we  must  separate. 
I  wish  to  prevent  a  scene  like  that  or  Metz.  Apprise  the  Duke  d'Ai- 
guillon  of  what  I  say  to  you,  that  he  may  arrange  with  you,  if  my 
sickness  grows  worse  ;  so  that  we  may  part  without  any  publicity." 

*  The  truth  of  these  particulars  is  confirmed  by  Besenval's  Memoirs,  vol.  i.— 
Note  by  the  Editor 

VOL.  i.— 27 


The  Jansenists  and  the  Duke  de  Choiseul's  party,  triumphed  in  the 
archbishop's  failure.  They  publicly  said,  that  M.  d'Aiguillon  and  the 
Archbishop  of  Paris,  had  resolved  to  let  the  King  die  without  receiving 
the  sacrament,  rather  than  disturb  Madame  du  Barry.  Annoyed  by 
their  remarks,  Beaumont  determined  to  go  and  reside  at  the  La/aris- 
tes,  his  house  at  Versailles,  to  deceive  the  public,  avail  himself  of  the 
King's  last  moments,  and  sacrifice  Madame  du  Barry,  when  the 
monarch's  condition  should  become  desperate.  He  arrived  at  Ver- 
sailles on  the  3d  of  May,  but  did  not  see  the  King.  The  prelate  was 
no  longer  impelled  by  that  impetuosity  of  zeal  which  we  have  known 
him  to  possess,  nor  had  he  his  old  affectation  of  contempt  for  all  polite- 
ness, and  the  common  observances  of  good  society,  when  called  upon 
to  fulfil  his  duty.  He  had  no  other  object,  than  under  existing  circum- 
stances, to  humble  the  enemies  of  his  party,  and  to  support  the 
favourite  who  had  assisted  it  to  overcome  them,  to  the  utmost. 

A  contrary  zeal  animated  the  Bishop  of  Carcassonne,  who  was  at 
daggers-drawn  with  Cardinal  de  la  Roche-Aymon.  The  complaisant 
spirit  of  the  latter  had  elevated  him  to  his  dignities  and  to  his  places  at 
court.  Less  of  the  Christian  than  the  courtier,  he  thought,  with  the 
Richelieus  and  the  mistress,  that  the  monarch  ought  not  to  be  terrified 
by  any  remarks  relative  to  the  administration  of  the  sacraments.  He 
said,  with  them,  that  the  mere  mention  of  the  sacraments  might  make 
a  very  dangerous  impression  upon  the  King's  mind.  The  Bishop  of 
Carcassonne  (a  second  Fitz-James,  Bishop  of  Soissons,  who  acted  the 
same  part  at  Metz),  on  the  contrary,  urged  "  that  the  King  ought  to 
receive  the  sacrament ;  and  by  expelling  the  concubine,  to  give  an 
example  of  repentance  to  France  and  Christian  Europe,  which  he  had 
scandalized." 

"  By  what  right,"  said  Cardinal  de  la  Roche-Aymon,  "  do  you  instruct 
me?"  "There  is  my  authority,"  replied  the  Bishop  of  Carcassonne, 
holding  up  his  pectoral  cross.  "  Learn,  Monseigneur,  to  respect  this 
authority,  and  do  not  suffer  your  King  to  die  without  the  sacraments 
of  the  church,  of  which  he,  the  most  Christian  King,  is  the  eldest  son." 
Amidst  this  confusion,  the  disgraceful  scenes  of  Metz  were  about  to  be 
renewed,  when  the  Duke  d' Aiguillon  and  the  Archbishop  of  Paris,  who 
witnessed  the  discussion,  thought  fit  to  put  an  end  to  it.  D' Aiguillon 
went  to  receive  the  King's  orders  relative  to  Madame  du  Barry.  "  She 
must  be  taken  quietly  to  your  seat  at  Ruelle,"  said  the  King ;  "  I  shall 
be  grateful  for  the  care  Madame  d' Aiguillon  may  take  of  her." 

Madame  du  Barry  saw  the  King  again  for  a  moment  on  the  evening 
of  the  4th,  and  promised  to  return  to  court  upon  his  recovery.  Madame 
d' Aiguillon  took  with  her  Mademoiselle  du  Barry  and  Madame  de  Serre, 
in  her  carriage  to  Ruelle,  to  wait  the  event.  She  was  scarcely  gone, 
when  the  King  asked  for  her — She  is  gone,  was  the  answer.  From  that 
moment  the  disorder  gained  ground  ;  he  thought  himself  a  dead  man, 
without  the  possibility  of  recovery. 

The  5th  and  6th  passed  without  a  word  of  confession,  viaticum,  or 
extreme  unction.  The  Duke  de  Fronsac  threatened  to  throw  the  curate 
of  Versailles  out  of  the  window,  if  he  dared  to  utter  them.  It  is  from 
himself,  I  have  the  story.  But  on  the  7th,  at  three  in  the  morning, 
the  King  imperatively  called  for  the  Abbi>  Maudoux.  Confession  lasted 
seventeen  minutes.  The  Dukes  de  la  Vrilliere  and  D'Aiguillon  wished 
to  delay  the  viaticum ;  but  La  Marti niere.  to  complete  the  expulsion  of 
Madame  du  Barry,  said  to  the  King:  "Sire,  I  have  seen  your  majesty 


AND  OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS.  305 

in  very  trying  circumstances ;  but  never  admired  you  as  I  have  done 
to-day.  No  doubt  your  majesty  will  immediately  finish  what  you  have 
so  well  begun."  The  King  had  his  confessor  Maudoux  called  back : 
this  was  a  poor  priest,  who  had  been  placed  about  him  for  some  years 
before,  because  he  was  old  and  blind.  lie  gave  him  absolution. 

As  to  the  formal  renunciation  desired  by  the  Choiseul  party,  in  order 
to  humble  and  annihilate  Madame  du  Barry  with  solemnity,  it  was  no 
more  mentioned.  The  grand  almoner,  in  concert  with  the  archbishop, 
composed  a  formula,  which  was  thus  proclaimed  in  presence  of  tht 
viaticum:  "  Although  the  King  owes  an  account  of  his  conduct  to  none 
but  God  alone,  he  declares  his  repentance  at  having  scandalized  his 
subjects,  and  is  desirous  to  live  solely  for  the  maintenance  of  religion 
and  the  happiness  of  his  people."  Descents  and  openings  of  the  shrine 
of  Saint  Genevieve,  were  afterwards  multiplied  to  obtain  his  recovery. 

On  the  8th  and  9th  the  disorder  grew  worse ;  and  the  King  beheld 
the  whole  surface  of  his  body  coming  off  piecemeal  and  corrupted. 
Deserted  by  his  friends,  and  by  that  crowd  of  courtiers  which  had  so 
long  crowded  before  him,  the  only  consolation  presented  to  him,  was 
the  piety  of  his  daughters.*  (Historical  and  Political  Memoirs  by  Sou- 
lavie,  vol.  i.) 

Note  (G),  Page  100. 

When  the  Duke  de  Choiseul's  exclusion  from  administration  was  de- 
termined on,  nothing  remained  but  to  choose  among  the  three  candidates 
who  were  dear  to  the  late  dauphin,  and  to  the  children  of  Louis  XV., 
especially  as  they  had  been  exiled  through  the  intrigues  of  Madame  de 
Pompadour,  who  was  so  much  detested  by  the  royal  family.  The  dau- 
phin had  recommended  them  to  his  successor.  The  three  ministers 
were,  the  Cardinal  de  Bernis,  M.  de  Maurepas,  and  M.  de  Machault. 
The  cardinal  was  at  once  set  aside,  although  proposed  by  Madame 
Adelaide,  who,  however,  observed,  that  the  cardinal  might  have  had, 
in  the  first  treaty  of  1756,  with  Austria,  a  claim  to  form  a  party  with 
the  Queen. 

M.  de  Machault  being  found  more  impartial  upon  the  question  rela- 
tive to  foreign  policy,  Louis  XVI.  decided  in  his  favour.  He  did  so 
the  rather,  "because  M.  de  Machault  had  the  very  highest  reputation  for 
strict  probity.  Under  these  circumstances  he  wrote  the  former  keeper 
of  the  seals  a  letter  of  invitation,  in  which  he  depicts  the  timid  and 
hesitating  character  of  his  mind.  He  tells  him,  that  he  shares  the 
grief  of  all  France  upon  the  death  of  Louis  XV.,  whereas  all  France 
heard  the  news  of  it  with  ecstasy.  He  observes,  that  he  has  high  duties 
to  fulfil,  that  he  is  deficient  in  the  knowledge  necessary  for  governing, 
and  he  invokes  the  probity  and  talents  of  M.  de  Machault. 

The  Abbe  de  lladonvilliers,  hovering  about  the  young  King  under 
these  circumstances,  in  order  to  put  in  a  word  to  suit  his  own  ends, 
alarmed  at  the  idea  of  the  return  of  the  inflexible  and  severe  Machault, 
the  enemy  of  the  priesthood,  remarked  to  Madame  Adelaide,  that  the 
principles  of  the  old  minister  were  very  rigid  and-  very  Jansenistical, 

*  These  notes  relative  to  (lie  list  sickness  of  Louis  XV.,  wore  furnished  to  me  by 
M.  cle  l'i  Horde,  his  first  valet  de  chambre,  who  has  loft  some  valuable  memoirs  of 
the  court  of  Louis  XV  :  by  tho  Abbe  Dupinet,  canon  of  Notre  Dsune,  who  had  them 
from  the  Archbishop  of  Paris;  by  the  Cardinal  de  Luynes,  Madame  d'Aiguillnr.  the 
Duke  do  Frons  ic.  :.nd  Marsh;  I  Richelieu.  I  have  had  recourse  to  botli  parties,  for 
the  account  of  'I  e  intrigues  by  which  the  expiring  king  was  tormented. — jYore  ij 
Sovlavi 


306  HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS 

and  that  he  would  b^  quite  misplaced  in  a  court,  the  character  of  which 
had  changed  very  much  during  the  latter  years  of  Louis  XV.  He  added, 
that  violent  and  terrible  measures  must  be  expected  if  he  returned, 
because  he  had  grown  rusty  in  his  exile,  while  M.  de  Maurepas  had, 
during  his,  preserved  the  ease,  grace,  and  wit  of  a  Frenchman.  Ho 
also  remarked,  that  the  King's  letter  recalling  M.  de  Machault,  would 
do  equally  well  for  M.  de  Maurepas,  and  proposed  to  request  the  King 
merely  to  change  the  envelope. 

The  ex-jesuit  Radonvilliers  had  a  motive  which  he  kept  to  himself. 
The  Jesuits  and  Sulpicians  could  not  endure  M.  de  Machault,  since, 
by  the  edict  of  1748,  he  proscribed  all  donations  of  funded  property  to 
the  clergy,  in  France.  Maurepas,  on  the  contrary,  was  the  friend  of 
M.  d'Aiguillon,  devoted  to  the  Jesuits  and  detested  by  the  parliaments. 
The  young  King,  yielding  to  these  observations,  suffered  the  letter 
signed  in  favour  of  M.  de  Machault  to  be  addressed  to  M.  de  Maurepas. 
Radonvilliers  and  D'Aiguillon,  without  being  aware  of  it,  prepared  the 
downfall  of  the  state.  M.  de  Maurepas  was  much  beneath  his  place, 
in  all  affairs  relative  to  the  preservation  of  a  great  empire.  M.  de 
Machault,  on  the  other  hand,  was  a  deep  and  reflecting  man,  capable 
of  preserving  it  as  the  empires  of  Russia,  Turkey,  England,  and  Austria, 
have  been  preserved.  Machault  had  an  anticipating  mind,  but  Mau- 
repas never  appeared  to  care  for  the  existence  of  the  state  beyond  the 
duration  of  his  own  life.  The  Abbe  de  Iladonvilliers,  observing  that 
the  Duke  d'Aiguillon  was  the  last  and  only  partisan  the  Jesuits  had 
left  in  the  cabinet  of  Versailles,  imagined  that  M.  de  Maurepas,  the 
duke's  uncle,  would  keep  him  there.  The  esprit  de  corps  at  this  con- 
juncture, favoured  the  most  contemptible  of  the  three  candidates,  and 
M.  de  Maurepas,  who  had  neither  genius,  decision  of  character,  nor 
views  sufficiently  elevated  for  a  prime  minister,  was  preferred.  (His- 
torical and  Political  Memoirs  of  the  Reign  of  Louis  XVI.,  by  Soulavie, 
vol.  ii.) 

Note  (H),  Page  102. 

A  list  of  several  persons  recommended  by  the  dauphin  to  st:ch  one  of  his 
children  as  shall  succeed  Louis  XV. ;  intrusted  to  the  care  of  M.  M.  de 
Nicolai,  with  many  other  papers. 

M.  de  Maurepas  is  an  old  minister,  who  has  preserved,  as  far  as  I  can 
learn,  his  attachment  to  the  true  principles  of  policy,  which  Madame 
de  Pompadour  mistook  and  betrayed. 

The  Duke  d'Aiguillon  belongs  to  a  house  which  rendered  itself  illus- 
trious by  a  political  system,  which  France  will  sooner  or  later  be  com- 
pelled for  its  safety  to  adopt  again.  He  will  be  matured  by  age,  and 
will  be  useful  in  many  respects.  His  principles,  upon  the  subject  of 
the  royal  authority,  are  as  pure  as  those  of  his  family,  which  have 
been  without  a  flaw  from  the  time  of  Cardinal  de  Richelieu. 

My  father  has  sent  out  of  the  way  a  man  of  unbending  temper  and 
some  errors  of  judgment,  but  a  man  of  worth,  M.  de  Machault.  The 
clergy  detest  him  for  his  severities  towards  them;  time  has  greatly 
moderated  him. 

M.  de  Trudaine  enjoys  a  high  reputation  for  probity  and  attachment, 
combined  with  great  acquirements. 

The  Cardinal  de  Bcrnis  is  at  length  rewarded  for  the  services  he  has 
rendered  the  house  of  Austria.  But  his  political  system,  with  relation 
to  that  power,  was  conceived  with  more  moderation  than  that  of  the 


AND  OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS.  307 

Duke  de  Choiseul.  He  was  sent  away,  because  he  did  not  do  enough 
for  the  Empress,  and  remembered  that  he  was  a  Frenchman.  If  he 
moderates  his  well-known  resentment  against  the  powerful  party  of 
the  clergy,  who  are  much  attached  to  our  house,  he  may  become  very 
xiseful. 

M.  de  Nivernois  has  quickness,  and  is  a  man  of  polished  manners ;  he 
may  be  sent  on  embassies  where  these  qualities  are  indispensable.  It 
is  in  that  way  that  he  must  be  employed. 

M.  de  Castries  is  fit  for  military  matters ;  he  is  honourable  and  well 
informed. 

M.  du  Muy  is  virtue  personified.  He  inherits  all  the  good  qualities 
that  were  possessed  by  M.  de  Montausier,  as  I  understand  from  report. 
He  will  be  found  steadfast  in  virtue  and  honour. 

Messieurs  de  Saint  Priest  rose  through  Madame  de  Pompadour,  but 
they  have  capacity  and  inspiring  dispositions.  A  distinction  should 
be  carefully  made  between  the  father,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  son 
and  the  chevalier,  on  the  other.  The  chevalier  may  one  day  become 
very  useful. 

Count  de  Perigord  is  a  prudent  and  worthy  man. 

Count  de  Broglie  possesses  activity  and  talent,  and  is  capable  of 
forming  political  combinations. 

The  Marshal  de  Broylie  is  qualified  to  command  in  war. 

The  Count  d'Estaing  is  equal  to  his  station. 

The  information  of  M.  de  Bourcet  may  be  relied  on.  The  same  of 
Baron  d'Espagnac. 

M.  de  Vergennes  is  fit  for  embassies ;  he  has  a  well  ordered  mind,  is 
wise,  and  is  capable  of  carrying  on  a  protracted  affair  on  good  prin- 
ciples. 

There  are  in  the  parliament,  in  the  families  of  the  president,  men 
very  much  attached  to  their  duties ;  there  are  also  some  among  the 
councillors. 

M.  the  president  Ogier  is  of  a  fit  temperament  for  stormy  and  diffi- 
cult negotiations ;  but  there  are  among  the  magistracy  some  violent 
spirits,  and  men  guided  by  others,  who  are  unfit  to  be  employed  else- 
where than  in  parliament,  on  account  of  their  restlessness. 

As  to  the  clergy,  M.  de  Jarente  has  introduced  into  that  body,  many 
persons  who  deserve  to  remain  unknown.  He  has  taken  the  course 
directly  contrary  to  that  adopted  by  his  predecessor,  who  wished  to 
have  an  exemplary  clergy,  a  clergy  interested  in  the  cause  of  religion. 
M.  de  Jarente  chooses  persons  too  much  like  himself. 

The  Bishop  of  Verdun  is  too  well  known  to  need  recommendation  ; 
the  same  may  be  said  of  all  his  family,  the  attachment  of  which  is 
undeniable. 

M.  Duke  de  la  Vauguyon  is  equally  too  well  known  to  require  recom- 
mendation. He  had  it  too  much  at  heart  to  render  his  pupils  polished, 
enlightened,  and  able  princes,  ever  to  be  forgotten.  I  can  say  the 
same  in  favour  of  the  persons  intrusted  with  the  education  of  the 
children  of  France. 

As  for  M.  the  old  Bishop  of  Limoges,  his  virtue,  candour,  and  deli- 
cacy, speak  for  themselves. 

There  are  other  persons  very  worthy  of  recommendation ;  but, 
besides  that  they  are  in  office,  they  ai-e  connected  either  by  friendship 

27* 


308  HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS 

or  relationship  with  those  above  mentioned.     I  shall  therefore  not 
speak  of  them. 

The  Archbishop  of  Paris  (de  Beaumont)  is  to  be  looked  upon  as  one 
of  the  pillars  of  religion,  whom  the  family  is  bound  both  in  conscience, 
and  for  its  own  sake  to  maintain,  cost  u-hat  it  will.  The  affectionate 
mother  of  my  children  will  say  more  about  it.  She  knows  well  how 
to  distinguish  between  good  and  evil,  and  it  is  not  necessary  here  to 
demonstrate  how  worthy  she  is  of  the  tenderest  attention. — (Soulavie's 
Historical  and  Political  Memoirs  of  the  Reign  of  Louis  XVI.,  vol.  i.) 

Note  (I),  Page  115. 

"Before  the  time  of  Francis  Stephen,  the  imperial  court  of  Germany 
was  the  most  magnificent  and  the  most  pompous  of  all  Europe.  No- 
where was  what  is  called  etiquette  observed  more  rigorously,  or  more 
scrupulously.  Francis  suffered  it  to  continue  in  high  ceremonies,  but 
banished  it  from  the  privacy  of  the  court.  The  Empress  Queen  readily 
acceded  to  this  alteration,  which  accorded  perfectly  well  with  her 
natural  benevolence.  They  substituted,  therefore,  for  the  ancient 
etiquette,  the  ease  and  even  the  familiarity  which  they  had  so  success- 
fully indulged  in  at  Luneville.  They  lived  in  the  midst  of  those  who 
came  about  them,  just  as  private  individuals  live  among  their  equals. 
Except  on  days  of  ceremony,  their  table  was  frugal,  and  they  received 
at  it  persons  of  merit  of  both  sexes,  without  distinction  of  birth.  In 
their  amusements  they  carefully  discarded  all  restraint ;  and  their 
dress  in  no  way  distinguished  them  from  those  who  shared  in  the 
diversions.  In  short,  they  both  received,  with  truly  winning  affability, 
all  who  had  to  approach  them.  Their  mode  of  reception  was  even  more 
prepossessing  towards  the  humble  than  towards  the  great,  the  poor 
man  than  the  rich. 

It  is  impossible  to  help  envying  the  happiness  of  sovereigns  who  can 
descend  to  such  familiarity  with  impunity ;  for  it  must  be  delightful 
occasionally  to  forget  the  burthen  of  royalty,  and  taste  the  pleasures 
of  private  life.  But  Marie  Antoinette  deceived  herself,  in  thinking, 
that  she  also  could  open  her  heart  to  those  delicious  emotions  which 
are  never  felt  by  those  who  keep  themselves  at  too  great  a  distance 
from  the  rest  of  mankind.  She  did  not  know  the  disposition  of  our 
nation,  which,  as  La  Bruyere  says,  requires  seriousness  and  severity  in 
its  masters,  and,  by  the  time  she  had  learned  that  truth,  the  lesson 
came  too  late. — (History  of  Marie  Antoinette  Josephs  Jeanne  de  Lorraine, 
Archduchess  of  Austria,  Queen  of  France,  by  Montjoie.) 

Note  (K),  Page  122. 

"A  few  days  before  the  dauphin's  marriage,  it  was  reported,  that 
Mademoiselle  de  Lorraine,  daughter  of  the  Countess  de  Brionne,  and 
sister  of  the  Prince  de  Lambesc,  grand  ecuyer  of  France,  was  to  dance 
her  minuet  at  the  dress  ball  immediately  after  the  princes  and 
princesses  of  the  blood ;  and  that  the  King  had  granted  her  that  dis- 
tinction just  after  an  audience  which  his  majesty  had  given  to  the 
Count  de  Mercy,  the  ambassador  of  the  Emperor  and  Empress. 
Although  the  etiquette  and  forms  of  a  dress  ball  are  by  no  means 
the  object  of  these  pages,  it  must  not  be  supposed,  that  they  are  quite 
jnproductive  of  matter  to  the  philosophic  mind ;  besides,  it  is  always 
interesting  to  remark  whatever  characterizes  the  spirit  of  a  court,  a 


AND  OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS.  309 

nation,  or  of  the  age.  The  intelligence  about  Mademoiselle  de  Lor- 
raine's minuet  caused  the  greatest  fermentation  amor.g  the  dukes  and 
peers,  who,  upon  this  occasion,  enlisted  all  the  superijr  nobility  of  the 
kingdom  in  their  cause.  They  set  it  down  for  an  incontrovertible 
principle,  that  there  could  not  be  any  intermediate  rank  between  the 
princes  of  the  blood  and  the  superior  nobility ;  and  that,  consequently, 
Mademoiselle  de  Lorraine  could  have  no  rank  distinct  from  that  of  the 
women  of  quality  presented  at  court. 

"The  Archbishop  of  Rheims,  the  first  ecclesiastical  peer,  being 
unwell,  they  met  at  the  house  of  the  Bishop  of  Noyon,  the  second 
ecclesiastical  peer,  brother  of  the  Marechal  de  Broglie.  They  drew 
up  a  memorial  to  be  presented  to  the  King :  the  dukes  and  peers,  in 
signing  it,  left  intervals  between  their  signatures,  that  the  superior 
nobility  might  sign  without  any  particular  order,  and  without  distinc- 
tion of  title  or  rank.  The  Bishop  of  Noyon  presented  this  memorial 
about  the  minuet  to  his  majesty. 

"  The  request  was  hardly  known,  when  the  following  parody  on  it  was 
publicly  circulated : — 

Sire,  the  Great,  one  and  all 
See,  with  sorrow  and  pain, 
A  princess  of  Lorraine 
Take  the  lead  at  the  ball. 
It"  your  majesty  menu 
Such  affronts  to  project, 
Such  marked  disrespect, 

•  They  will  quit  the  gay  scene  ; 

And  leave  fiddlers  and  all : 
Then  think  what  is  said, 
The  agreement  is  made. 
Signed  Bishop  of  Noyon, 
De  Villette,  Beaufremont,  &c. 

"In  fact,  it  was  openly  said,  that  if  the  King's  answer  were  imfa- 
vourable,  all  the  women  of  quality  would  find  themselves  suddenly 
indisposed,  and  not  one  of  them  would  dance  at  the  ball.  This  versified 
petition  is  not  without  point  in  other  respects.  Independently  of  the 
absurdity  of  a  prelate's  presiding  over  deliberations,  and  guiding  the 
measures  and  struggles  of  the  French  nobility,  upon  the  subject  of  a 
minuet,  the  names  of  some  ancient  and  illustrious  houses  are  enclosed 
in  it,  between  two  grandees  of  the  monarchy  of  very  recent  date.  This 
may  be  taken  for  a  joke,  but  it  is  a  certain  fact;  and  it  is  a  positive 
truth,  that  the  Marquis  de  Villette,  the  son  of  a  treasurer  of  war  extra- 
ordinary, who  never  distinguished  himself,  down  to  the  present  time, 
further  than  by  a  few  trifling  compositions,  and  some  tolerably  glaring 
slips  of  youth,  was  permitted  to  sign  a  petition,  at  the  bottom  of  which 
we  read  the  names  of  Beaufremont,  Clermont,  and  Montmorency.  No 
doubt  his  descendants  will  be  grateful  to  him  for  this  signature.  They 
will  say,  '  one  of  our  ancestors  signed  the  famous  minuet-petition  on 
the  marriage  of  the  grandson  of  Louis  XV.,  in  concert  with  all  the 
peers,  and  all  the  superior  nobility  of  the  kingdom ;  so  that  our  name 
was  thenceforward  classed  among  the  most  illustrious  in  the  kingdom,' 
They  may  also  say :  '  In  1770,  at  the  dress  ball  on  the  marriage  of  the 
dauphin,  a  Villette  disputed  the  point  of  precedence  with  the  princess 
of  the  house  of  Lorraine.  It  is  the  great  Villette,'  one  of  his  grand- 
sons will  add,  '  who  published,  at  his  own  expense,  an  culogium  upon 
Charles  V.,  and  one  upon  Henry  IV.,  which  have  not  escaped  the  attacks 
of  time  either  in  the  archives  of  literature,  or  in  those  of  our  house ;' 


810  HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS 

and  thej  will  say  the  truth.  There  are  plenty  of  historical  proofs, 
•which  rest  on  no  better  foundation."  ( Grimm's  Correspondence,  tome 
7,  page  143.) 

The  following  are  particulars  added  by  Soulavie  to  those  we  have 
just  read : 

'•  Maria  Theresa  knew  the  court  of  Versailles  well ;  and  yet  she  so 
far  erred  as  to  demand  diplomatically,  through  M.  de  Mercy,  her  am- 
bassador, that  Mademoiselle  de  Lorraine,  her  relation,  and  the  Prince 
de  Lambesc,  should  rank  next  after  the  princes  of  the  blood,  in  the 
entertainments  on  the  marriage  of  her  daughter  with  the  dauphin  of 
France. 

"Louis  XV.,  in  order  to  gratify  the  dauphiness,  who  desired  it;  and 
Maria  Theresa,  who  demanded  it,  thought  fit  to  make  it  an  affair  of 
state.  He  knew  the  jealousy  of  the  grandees  of  his  court,  with  relation 
to  their  rights  of  etiquette,  and  he  desired  them,  by  virtue  of  the  sub- 
mission and  attachment  which  they  owed  him,  and  which  they  had 
manifested  to  hipi,  as  well  as  to  his  predecessors,  not  to  contradict  him 
on  this  occasion.  He  signified  his  desire  to  mark  his  gratitude  to  the 
Empress,  for  the  present  she  made  to  France  of  her  daughter ;  he  had 
recourse  to  the  language  of  friendship,  and  worked  on  the  feelings  on 
that  occasion,  to  obtain  this  condescension  from  the  grandees  of  the. 
state. 

"  The  docility  of  tbe  nobles  to  Louis  XV.  had  altered  for  some  years, 
and  the  King  did  not  calculate  on  the  obstacles  the  dukes  would  throw 
in  the  way  of  this  new  assumption.  The  ladies  of  the  court,  frmn  whom 
Louis  XV.  had  aright  to  expect  the  most  submission  and  deference, 
played  an  obstinate  and  haughty  part,  opposing  an  insurmountable 
resistance  to  the  King's  request,  that  Mademoiselle  de  Lorraine  might 
be  suffered  to  dance  immediately  after  the  princesses  of  the  blood  ; 
they  were  firm  in  their  resolution  of  depriving  themselves  of  the  pleasure 
of  the  ball,  rather  than  suffer  their  right  to  dance  first,  to  be  infringed 
upon.  Among  all  these  ladies,  Madame  de  Bouillon  distinguished  her- 
self most  by  the  asperity  of  her  refusals  and  observations.  Louis  XV. 
showed  himself  so  much  offended  at  them,  that  she  came  no  more  to 
court.  The  dauphiness,  on  her  part,  was  so  vexed,  that  she  procured 
one  of  the  letters  that  Louis  XV.  had  written  to  the  peers,  and  shut  it 
up  in  her  desk  saying,  I  will  remember  it.  However,  in  order  to  put  an 
end  to  the  matter,  Mademoiselle  de  Lorraine  agreed  to  dance  with  the 
Duchess  de  Duras,  whose  situation  kept  her  at  court.  This  middle 
course  diminished  the  scandal  of  the  affair,  and  the  eclat  of  the  retreat 
and  return  to  Paris  of  the  titled  ladies,  who  had  refused  to  dance  at 
the  wedding  of  the  young  princess."  (Historical  and  Political  Memoirs 
of  the  Reign  of  Louis  XVI.,  vol.  i.) 

Note  (L),  Page  124. 

"  The  dresses  worn  by  the  principal  dignitaries  at  the  consecration 
were,  on  account  both  of  their  richness  and  their  ancient  form,  among 
the  most  interesting  objects  of  that  solemnity.  The  lay  peers  were 
clad  invests  of  gold  stuff,  which  came  down  as  far  as  the  mid-leg; 
they  had  girdles  of  gold,  silver,  and  violet-coloured  silk  mixed,  and 
over  the  long  vest  a  ducal  mantle  of  violet  cloth,  lined  and  edged  with 
ermine ;  the  round  collar  was  likewise  of  ermine  ;  and  every  one  wore 
a  crown  upon  a  cap  of  violet  satin,  and  the  collar  of  the  order  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  over  the  mantle. 


AND  OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS.  311 

"  The  captain  of  the  hundred  Swiss  of  the  King's  guard  was  dressed 
in  silver  stuff,  with  an  embroidered  shoulder-belt  of  the  same ;  a  black- 
mantle  lined  with  cloth  of  silver,  and,  as  well  as  his  trunk  hose, 
trimmed  with  lace,  and  a  black  cap  surmounted  with  a  plume  of 
feathers.  The  grand  master,  and  the  master  of  the  ceremonies,  were 
dressed  in  silver  stuff  doublets,  black  velvet  breeches  intersected  by 
bands,  and  cloaks  of  black  velvet,  trimmed  with  silver  lace,  with  caps 
of  black  velvet  surmounted  with  white  feathers. 

Everything  being  arranged  for  giving  suitable  pomp  and  splendour 
to  the  consecration,  on  Sunday,  the  llth  of  June,  as  early  as  six  in 
the  morning,  the  canons  in  their  copes  arrived  in  the  choir,  and  placed 
themselves  in  the  upper  stalls.  They  were  soon  followed  by  the  arch- 
bishop, Duke  de  Rheims,  the  cardinals  and  prelates  invited,  the  minis- 
ters, the  marshals  of  France,  the  counsellors  of  state,  and  the  deputies 
of  the  various  companies  :  every  one  took  the  place  appointed  for  him, 
without  any  confusion. 

About  half-past  six,  the  lay  peers  arrived  from  the  archiepiscopal 
palace.  Monsieur  represented  the  Duke  of  Burgundy  ;  M.  the  Count 
d'Artois,  the  Duke  of  Normandy ;  and  the  Duke  of  Orleans  represented 
the  Duke  of  Aquitaine.  The  remainder  of  the  ancient  peers  of  France, 
the  Counts  of  Thoulouse,  Flanders,  and  Champagne,  were  represented 
by  the  Duke  de  Chartres,  the  Prince  de  Conde,  and  the  Duke  de  Bour- 
bon, who  wore  counts'  coronets. 

The  ecclesiastical  peers  continued  hooded  and  mitred  during  the 
whole  ceremony. 

At  seven,  the  bishop,  Duke  de  Laon,  and  the  bishop,  Count  de  Beau- 
vais,  set  out  to  fetch  the  King.  These  two  prelates,  in  their  pontifical 
dresses,  with  their  reliquaries  suspended  from  their  necks,  were  pre- 
ceded by  all  the  canons  of  the  church  of  Rheims,  among  whom  were 
the  musicians.  The  chanter  and  sub-chanter  walked  after  the  clergy 
and  before  the  Marquis  de  Dreux,  grand  master  of  the  ceremonies, 
who  immediately  preceded  the  bishops,  Duke  de  Laon,  and  Count  de 
Beauvais ;  they  passed  through  a  covered  gallery,  and  came  to  the 
King's  door,  which,  according  to  custom  from  time  immemorial,  they 
found  shut.  The  chanter  strikes  upon  it  with  his  baton ;  and  the  great 
chamberlain,  without  opening,  says  to  him,  What  is  it  you  require?  We 
ask  for  the  King,  replies  the  principal  ecclesiastical  peer. — The  King 
sleeps,  returns  the  great  chamberlain.  Then  the  grand  chanter  begins 
striking  again ;  the  bishop  asks  for  the  King,  and  the  same  answer  is 
given.  At  length,  the  chanter,  having  struck  a  third  time,  and  the 
great  chamberlain  answered,  the  King  sleeps,  the  ecclesiastical  peer, 
who  has  already  spoken,  pronounces  these  words,  which  remove  every 
obstacle:  "We  demand  Louis  XVI.,  whom  God  has  given  us  for  out 
King;"  immediately  the  chamber  doors  open  and  another  scene  begins. 
The  grand  master  of  the  ceremonies  leads  the  bishops  to  his  majesty, 
who  is  stretched  upon  a  state  bed :  they  salute  him  profoundly.  The 
monarch  is  clothed  in  a  long  crimson  waistcoat,  trimmed  with  gom 
galoon,  and,  as  well  as  the  shirt,  open  at  those  places  where  he  is  to 
be  anointed.  Above  the  waistcoat  he  has  a  long  robe  of  silver  stuff, 
and  upon  his  head  a  cap  of  black  velvet,  ornamented  with  a  string  of 
diamonds,  a  plume,  and  a  white  double  aigrette.  The  ecclesiastical 
peer  presents  the  holy  water  to  the  King,  and  repeats  the  following 
prayer: — "Almighty  and  everlasting  God,  who  hast  raised  thy  servant, 
Louis,  to  the  regal  dignity,  grant  him  throughout  his  reign  to  seek  the 


312  HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS 

good  of  his  subjects,  and  that  he  may  never  wander  from  the  paths  of 
truth  and  justice."  This  prayer  ended,  the  two  bishops  take  his 
majesty,  the  one  by  the  right  arm,  and  the  other  by  the  left,  and 
raising  him  from  the»  bed,  conduct  him  in  pompous  procession  to  the 
church  through  the  covered  gallery,  chanting  appropriate  prayers. 

About  seven,  the  King,  having  reached  the  church,  and  every  one 
having  taken  his  proper  place,  the  Holy  Ampulla  soon  arrived  at  the 
principal  door.  It  was  brought  from  the  abbey  of  Saint  Renii  by  the 
grand  prior,  in  a  cover  of  cloth  and  gold,  and  mounted  upon  a  white 
horse  from  the  King's  stable,  covered  with  a  housing  of  cloth  of  silver, 
richly  embroidered,  and  led  by  the  reins  by  two  grooms  of  the  state 
stable.  The  grand  prior  was  under  a  canopy  of  similar  materials,  car- 
ried by  four  barons,  called  knights  of  the  Holy  Ampulla,  clad  in  white 
satin,  with  a  mantle  of  black  silk,  and  a  white  velvet  scarf,  trimmed 
with  silver  fringe  which  his  majesty  had  done  them  the  honour  to 
bestow  upon  them  ;  they  wore  the  knight's  cross,  suspended  round  the 
neck  by  a  black  ribbon.  At  the  four  corners  of  the  canopy,  the  peers 
named  by  the  King  as  hostages  of  the  Holy  Ampulla  were  seen,  each 
preceded  by  his  esquire,  with  a  standard,  bearing  on  one  side  the  arms 
of  France,  and  on  the  other  those  of  the  peer  himself.  The  hostages 
took  an  oath  upon  the  Holy  Gospels,  and  solemnly  swore  between  the 
hands  of  the  prior,  in  presence  of  the  officers  of  the  abbey  bailiwick, 
that  no  injury  should  be  done  to  the  Holy  Ampulla,  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  which,  they  promised  to  risk  their  lives  if  necessary ;  and  at  the 
same  time,  they  made  themselves  pledges,  responsible  sureties,  and 
declared  that  they  would  remain  hostages  until  the  return  of  the  Holy 
Ampulla.  According  to  the  form  followed  on  such  occasions,  however, 
they  required  to  be  permitted  to  accompany  it,  for  the  greater  safety  and 
preservation  of  the  aforesaid,  under  the  same  responsibility  ;  which  was 
granted  them.  All  these  formalities  are  so  superfluous  that  they  become 
quite  ridiculous.  The  Holy  Ampulla,  which  is  so  conspicuous  an  article 
in  the  consecration  of  our  Kings,  is  a  sort  of  small  bottle  filled,  as  it  is 
said,  with  a  miraculous  balm,  which  never  diminishes,  and  which  served 
to  anoint  Clovis.  It  is  pretended,  that  it  was  sent  from  heaven  and 
brought  by  a  dove  to  Saint  Remigius,  who  died  about  the  year  538 :  it 
is  treasured  in  the  very  tomb  of  the  ancient  archbishop,  whose  body 
remains  entire  in  a  shrine  of  the  abbey  bearing  his  name  :  and  is 
enclosed  in  a  silver  gilt  reliquary,  enriched  with  diamonds  and  gems  of 
various  colours.* 

The  archbishop  of  Rheims  being  apprised,  by  the  master  of  the  cere- 
monies, of  the  arrival  of  the  Holy  Ampulla,  went  immediately  to  receive 
it  at  the  gate  of  the  church:  upon  placing  it  in  his  hands,  the  grand 
prior,  according  to  the  form,  addressed  these  words  to  him:  "To  you, 
my  lord,  I  intrust  this  precious  treasure  sent  from  heaven  to  the  great 
Saint  Remigius,  for  the  consecration  of  Clovis  and  the  Kings  his  suc- 
cessors ;  but  I  request  you,  according  to  ancient  custom,  to  bind  yourself 
to  restore  it  into  my  hands,  after  the  consecration  of  our  King  Louis 
XVI."  The  archbishop,  conformably  with  the  custom,  takes  the  required 
oath  in  these  terms  :  "  I  receive  this  Holy  Ampulla  with  reverence,  and 
promise  you,  upon  the  faith  of  a  prelate,  to  restore  it  into  your  hands 
at  the  conclusion  of  the  ceremony  of  the  consecration."  Having  thus 

*  This  pliial  was  afterwards  broken  to  pieces  upon  the  pavement  of  the  abbey  by 
the  conventinnary  Ruhl,  deputed  for  that  purpose;  the  shrine  and  reliquaries,  broken 
rr;  his  direction,  were  sent  to  La  Monnaie. — Note  by  the  Editors. 


AND  OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS.  313 

said,  the  Cardinal  de  la  Roche-Aymon  took  the  marvellous  phial, 
returned  to  the  choir,  and  deposited  it  upon  the  altar.  A  few  minutes 
afterwards  he  approached  the  King,  to  whom  he  administered  the  oath, 
called  the  protection  oath,  for  all  the  churches  in  subjection  to  the  crown : 
a  promise  which  his  majesty  made  sitting  and  covered.  "I  promise," 
said  the  King,  "  to  prevent  the  commission  of  rapine  and  injustice  of 
every  description  by  persons  of  all  ranks.  I  swear  to  apply  myself 
sincerely,  and  with  all  my  might,  to  the  extermination  of  heretics, 
condemned  and  pointed  out  by  the  church,  from  all  countries  subject 
to  my  government." 

After  this  oath,  two  ecclesiastical  peers  present  the  King  to  the 
assembly,  and  demand  whether  Louis  XVI.  is  approved  of  for  the  dignity 
of  King  of  France.  A  respectful  silence,  say  the  books  which  describe 
the  ceremony,  announced  the  general  consent. 

The  Archbishop  of  Rheims  presented  the  book  of  the  Gospels  to  the 
King,  upon  which  placing  his  hands,  his  majesty  took  the  oath  to  main- 
tain and  preserve  the  orders  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  Saint  Louis,  and 
always  to  wear  the  cross  of  the  latter  order  attached  to  a  flame-coloured 
silk  ribbon ;  to  enforce  the  edict  against  duels,  without  any  regard  to 
the  intercessions  of  any  princes  or  potentates  in  favour  of  the  guilty. 
The  former  part  of  this  oath  is  of  very  little  importance,  and  the  second 
is  broken  every  day. 

When  the  King,  for  the  second  time,  received  the  sword  of  Charle- 
magne, he  deposited  it  in  the  hands  of  the  Marechal  de  Clermont  Ton- 
nerre,  officiating  as  constable,  who  held  it  point  upwards  during  the 
ceremony  of  the  consecration  and  coronation,  as  well  as  during  the 
royal  banquet.  While  the  King  was  receiving  and  returning  the  sword 
of  Charlemagne,  several  prayers  were  read.  In  one  of  them,  God  was 
entreated  that  the  holy  monastery  might  experience  the  King's  bounty ; 
that  his  favours  might  be  spread  among  the  great  of  the  kingdom ;  that 
the  dew  of  heaven,  and  the  fatness  of  earth,  might  furnish  in  his 
dominions  an  inexhaustible  pleuteousness  of  corn,  wine,  oil,  and  all 
kinds  of  fruit;  so  that,  under  his  reign,  the  people  might  enjoy  unin- 
terrupted health,  &c. 

When  these  prayers  were  finished,  the  officiating  prelate  opened  thd 
Holy  Ampulla,  and  let  a  small  quantity  of  oil  drop  from  it,  and  this  he 
diluted  with  some  consecrated  oil,  called  holy  cream.  The  King  pros- 
trated himself  before  the  altar  upon  a  large  square  of  violet-coloured 
velvet,  embroidered  with  golden  fleurs-de-lis,  the  old  archbishop  Duke 
of  Rheims,  being  also  prostrated  on  his  right  hand,  and  remained  in 
that  lowly  posture  until  the  conclusion  of  the  litanies  chanted  by  four 
bisliops  alternately  with  the  choir.  The  following  versicle  occurs  in 
those  litanies : — 

Ut  dominion  Apostolicum  et  omnes  gradus  Ecclesice  in  sancta  religions  con  • 
servare  digneris.  (That  it  may  please  thee  to  keep  the  sovereign  pontiff 
and  all  the  orders  of  the  church  in  thy  holy  religion.) 

At  the  end  of  the  litanies,  the  Archbishop  of  Rheims  placed  himself 
in  his  chair,  and  the  King  kneeling  down  before  him,  was  anointed 
upon  the  crown  of  the  head,  the  breast,  between  the  two  shoulders, 
upon  the  right  shoulder,  the  left,  upon  the  joint  of  the  right  arm,  and 
upon  that  of  the  left  arm ;  at  the  same  time  the  prelate  pronounced 
certain  prayers,  the  substance  of  which  was  as  follows :  "  May  he  hum- 
ble the  proud  ;  may  he  be  a  lesson  for  the  rich  ;  may  he  be  charitable 
towards  the  poor ;  and  may  he  be  a  peacemaker  among  nations."  A 


814  HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS 

little  further  on,  these  words  occur  among  the  prayers  :  "  May  he  never 
abandon  his  rights  over  the  kingdoms  of  the  Saxons,  Mercians,  people 
of  the  north,  and  the  Cimbri." 

An  anonymous  author  says,  that  by  the  word  Cimbri,  is  meant  the 
kingdom  of  England,  over  which  our  Kings  expressly  reserve  their  in- 
disputable rights,  from  the  time  of  Louis  VIII.,  upon  whom  it  was  con- 
ferred by  the  free  election  of  the  people  who  had  driven  out  John  Sans 
Terre. 

After  the  seven  anointings,  the  Archbishop  of  Rheims,  assisted  by 
the  bishops  of  Laon  and  Beauvais,  laced  up  with  gold  laces  the  open- 
ings of  the  King's  shirt  and  waistcoat,  and  he,  rising,  was  invested  by 
the  great  chamberlain  with  the  tunic,  dalmatic,  and  royal  mantle,  lined 
and  edged  with  ermine :  these  vestments  are  of  violet  velvet,  embroi- 
dered with  gold  and  fleurs-de-lis,  and  represent  the  dresses  of  sub- 
deacon,  deacon,  and  priest :  a  symbol,  doubtless  by  which  the  clergy 
seek  to  prove  their  union  with  the  royal  power.  The  King  placed 
himself  upon  his  knees  again  before  the  officiating  archbishop,  who 
made  the  eighth  unction  upon  the  palm  of  the  right  hand,  and  the  ninth 
and  last  upon  that  of  the  left;  he  afterwards  placed  a  ring  upon  the 
fourth  finger  of  the  right  hand,  as  a  type  of  unlimited  power,  and  of 
the  intimate  union  thenceforward  to  reign  between  the  King  and  his 
people.  The  archbishop  then  took  the  royal  sceptre  from  off  the  altar, 
and  put  it  into  the  King's  right  hand,  and  afterwards  the  hand  of  justice, 
which  he  put  into  the  left  hand.  The  sceptre  is  of  gold,  enamelled  and 
ornamented  with  oriental  pearls ;  it  may  be  about  six  feet  in  height. 
Upon  it  is  represented,  in  relief,  Charlemagne,  with  the  globe  in  his 
hand,  seated  in  a  chair  of  state,  ornamented  with  two  lions  and  two 
eagles.  The  hand  of  justice  is  a  staff  of  massive  gold,  only  one  foot 
and  a  half  in  length,  adorned  with  rubies  and  pearls,  and  terminated 
by  a  hand  formed  of  ivory,  or  rather  of  the  horn  of  a  unicorn ;  and  it 
has  at  regular  distances,  three  circles  of  leaves  sparkling  with  pearls, 
garnets,  and  other  precious  stones. 

At  length,  however,  we.  came  to  a  period  when  the  clergy  cease  to 
arrogate  to  themselves  the  right  of  conferring  his  supremacy  upon  the 
King.  The  keeper  of  the  seals  of  France,  officiating  as  chancellor,  as- 
cended the  altar,  and  placing  himself  by  the  Gospels,  turning  his  face 
towards  the  choir,  summoned  the  peers  to  the  coronation  in  the  follow- 
ing words:  "Monsieur,  representing  the  Duke  of  Burgundy,  come 
forward  to  this  act,  &c.  &c."  The  peers  having  approached  the  King, 
the  Archbishop  of  Rheims  took  from  the  altar  the  crown  of  Charle- 
magne, which  had  been  brought  from  Saint  Denis,  and  placed  it  uppn 
the  King's  head ;  immediately  the  ecclesiastical  and  lay  peers  raised 
their  hands  to  support  it  there ;  a  truly  noble  and  expressive  allegory, 
but  which  would  be  much  more  accurate,  if  delegates  from  the  peo- 
ple, also  in  the  same  emblematical  spirit,  sustained  the  crown.  In 
one  of  the  prayers  at  this  part  of  the  ceremony,  an  oriental  expression 
of  great  energy  is  made  use  of:  "  May  the  King  have  the  strength  of 
the  rhinoceros ;  and  may  he,  like  a  rushing  wind,  drive  before  him  the  na- 
tions of  our  enemies,  even  to  the  extremity  of  the  earth."  The  crown 
of  Charlemagne,  which  is  preserved  in  the  treasury  of  the  Abbey  of 
Saint  Denis,  is  of  gold,  and  enriched  with  rubies  and  sapphires :  it  is 
lined  with  a  crimson  satin  cap,  embroidered  with  gold,  and  surmounted 
by  a  golden  fleur-de-lis,  covered  with  thirty-six  oriental  pearls. 

After  these  various  ceremonies,  the  Archbishop  Duke  of  Rheims  took 


AND  OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS.  316 

the  King  by  the  right  arm,  and  followed  by  the  peers  .and  all  the  officers 
of  the  crown,  led  him  to  the  throne  raised  upon  a  platform,  where  he 
seated  him,  reciting  the  enthroning  prayers.  In  the  first  of  these,  it  is 
said  :  "  As  you  see  the  clergy  nearer  than  the  rest  of  the  faithful  to  the 
holy  altars,  so  ought  you  to  take  care  and  maintain  it  in  the  most  ho- 
nourable place."  On  concluding  the  prayers  prescribed  for  the  occasion, 
the  prelate  took  off  his  mitre,  made  a  profound  bow  to  the  King,  and 
kissed  him,  saying,  "VivatRex  in  cuternum,"  (may  the  King  live  for  ever!) 
The  other  ecclesiastical  and  lay  peers  also  kissed  the  King,  one  after 
the  other,  and  as  soon  as  they  were  returned  to  their  places,  the  gates 
of  the  church  were  opened ;  the  people  rushed  in,  in  a  mass,  and  in- 
stantly made  the  roofs  resound  with  shouts  of,  Long  live  the  King  I  which 
were  re-echoed  by  the  crowd  of  persons  engaged  in  the  ceremony,  who 
filled  the  enclosure  of  the  choir  like  an  amphitheatre ;  an  irresistible 
impulse  gave  rise  to  a  clapping  of  hands,  which  became  general ;  the 
grandees,  the  court,  the  people,  animated  by  the  same  enthusiasm,  ex- 
pressed it  in  the  same  manner. 

The  Queen,  exceedingly  affected,  could  not  withstand  the  impression 
it  made  upon  her,  and  was  obliged  to  withdraw  for  a  short  time.  When 
she  made  her  reappearance,  she,  in  her  turn,  received  a  similar  homage 
to  that  just  offered  by  the  nation  to  the  King. 

While  all  resounded  with  exclamations  of  joy,  the  fowlers,  according 
to  a  very  ancient  usage,  set  at  liberty  in  the  church,  a  number  of  birds, 
which,  in  recovering  their  freedom,  expressed  the  eifusion  of  the  mo- 
narch's favours  upon  the  people,  and  that  men  are  never  more  truly  free, 
than  under  the  reign  of  an  enlightened,  just,  and  beneficent  prince."  (Se- 
cret Correspondence  of  the  Court  of  Louis  XVI.) 

Note  (M)  Page  131. 

"  The  only  passion  ever  shown  by  Louis  XVI.  was  for  hunting ;  he 
was  so  much  occupied  by  it  that  when  I  went  up  into  his  private  closets, 
at  Versailles,  after  the  10th  of  August,  I  saw.  upon  the  staircase  six 
frames,  in  which  were  seen  statements  of  "all  his  hunts  both  when 
dauphin  and  when  king.  In  them  was  detailed  the  number,  kind,  and 
quality  of  the  game  he  had  killed  at  each  hunting  party,  with  recapitu- 
lations for  every  month,  every  season,  and  every  year  of  his  reign. 

The  interior  of  his  private  apartments  was  thus  arranged :  a  saloon 
ornamented  with  gilded  mouldings,  displayed  the  engravings  which 
had  been  dedicated  to  him ;  drawings  of  the  canals  he  had  dug,  with 
the  model  of  that  of  Burgundy ;  and  the  plan  of  the  cones  and  works 
of  Cherbourg. 

The  upper  hall  contained  his  collection  of  geographical  charts, 
spheres,  globes,  and  also  his  geographical  cabinet.  There  were  to  be 
seen  drawings  of  maps  which  he  had  begun,  and  some  that  he  had 
finished.  He  had  a  clever  method  of  washing  them  in.  His  geogra- 
phical recollection  was  prodigious. 

Above  was  the  turning  and  joining-room,  furnished  with  ingenious 
instruments  for  working  in  wood.  He  inherited  some  from  Louis  XV., 
and  he  often  busied  himself,  with  Duret's  assistance,  in  keeping  them 
clean  and  bright. 

Above  was  the  library  of  books  published  during  his  reign.  The 
prayer  books  and  manuscript  books  of  Anne  of  Brittany,  Francis  I., 

VOL.  I. — 28 


816  HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS 

the  latter  Valois,  Louis  XIV.,  Louis  XV.,  and  the  dauphin,  formed  the 
great  hereditary  library  of  the  castle.  Louis  XVI.  placed  separately, 
in  two  apartments  communicating  with  each  other,  the  works  of  his 
own  time.  Among  the  most  remarkable,  was  a  complete  collection  of 
Didot's  editions,  in  vellum,  every  volume  of  which  was  enclosed  in  a 
morocco  case.  There  were  several  English  works,  among  the  rest  the 
Debates  of  the  British  Parliament,  in  a  great  number  of  volumes  in 
folio — (this  is  the  Moniteur  of  England,  a  complete  collection  of  which 
is  so  valuable  and  so  scarce).  By  the  side  of  this  collection,  was  to  be 
seen  a  manuscript  history  of  all  the  schemes  for  a  descent  upon  that 
island,  particularly  that  of  Count  de  Broglie,  and  other  analogous 
plans. 

One  of  the  presses  of  this  cabinet  was  full  of  pasteboard  boxes,  con- 
taining papers  relative  to  the  house  of  Austria,  with  this  ticket  written 
in  his  own  hand:  "Secret  papers  of  my  family,  respecting  the  house  of 
Austria  ;  papers  of  my  family  respecting  the  houses  of  Stuart  and  Hanover." 

In  an  adjoining  press  were  kept  papers  relative  to  Russia.  The  most 
refined  wickedness  produced  the  publication  of  satirical  works  against 
Catherine  II.,  and  against  Paul  I.,  which  were  sold  in  France  under 
the  names  of  histories.  Louis  XVI.  collected  and  sealed  up  with  his 
small  seal,  the  scandalous  anecdotes  against  Catherine  II.,  as  well  as 
the  works  of  Rhulieres,  of  which  he  had  a  copy,  to  be  certain  that  the 
secret  life  of  that  princess,  which  attracted  the  curiosity  of  her  co- 
temporaries,  should  not  be  laid  open  by  his  means. 

Above  the  King's  private  library  was  a  forge,  two  anvils,  and  a  vast 
number  of  iron  tools  ;  various  common  locks,  well  made  and  perfect ; 
some  secret  locks,  and  locks  ornamented  with  gilt  copper.  It  was  there 
that  the  infamous  Gamin,  who  afterwards  accused  the  King  of  having 
tried  to  poison  him,  and  was  rewarded  for  his  calumny  with  a  pension 
of  twelve  thousand  livres,  taught  him  the  art  of  lock-making.  Gamin, 
in  spite  of  his  vulgarity,  had  brought  the  King  to  suffer  himself  to  be 
treated  as  an  apprentice  is  by  his  master  in  his  workship.  This 
Gamin,  who  became  »ur  guide,  by  order  of  the  department  and 
municipality  of  Versailles',  did  not,  however,  complain  of  the  King,  on 
the  20th  December,  1792.  He  had  been  the  confidant  of  that  prince 
on  an  immense  number  of  important  commissions :  the  King  had  sent 
him  the  Red  Book,  from  Paris,  in  a  parcel;  and  the  part  which  was 
concealed  during  the  Constituent  Assembly,  still  remained  so  in  1793. 
Gamin  hid  it  in  a  part  of  the  chateau,  inaccessible  to  everybody,  where 
we  found  it.  He  took  it  from  under  the  shelves  of  a  secret  press, 
before  our  eyes.  This  anecdote  is  a  convincing  proof  that  Louis  XVI. 
hoped  to  return  to  his  chateau. 

In  teaching  Louis  XVI.  his  trade,  Gamin  had  taken  upon  him  the 
tone  and  authority  of  a  master.  "The  King  was  good,  forbearing, 
timid,  inquisitive,  and  addicted  to  sleep,"  said  Gamin  to  me;  "he  was 
fond  of  lockmaking  to  excess,  and  he  concealed  himself  from  the  Queen 
and  the  court  to  file  and  forge  with  me.  In  order  to  convey  his  anvil 
and  my  own  backwards,  and  forwards,  we  were  obliged  to  use  a  thou- 
sand stratagems,  the  history  of  which  would  never  end." 

Above  the  King's  and  Gamin's  forges  and  anvils,  was  an  observatory, 
erected  upon  a  platform  covered  with  lead.  There  seated  in  an  arm 
chair,  and  assisted  by  a  telescope,  the  King  observed  all  that  was 
passing  in  the  court  yards  of  Versailles,  the  avenue  of  Paris,  and  Ihe 
neighbouring  gardens.  He  had  taken  a  liking  to  Dnret.  one  of  the 


AND  OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS.  317 

Eervants  of  the  interior,  who  sharpened  his  tools,  cleaned  his  anvils, 
pasted  his  maps  and  adjusted  eye-glasses  to  the  King's  sight,  "who 
was  myopic.  This  good  Duret,  and  indeed  all  the  servants  of  the 
interior,  spoke  of  their  master  with  regret  and  affection,  and  with  tears 
in  their  eyes. 

The  King  was  born  weak  and  delicate ;  but  from  the  age  of  twenty- 
four,  he  possessed  a  robust  constitution.  Instances  of  his  strength 
were  often  mentioned  at  court :  he  inherited  it  from  his  mother,  who 
was  of  the  house  of  Saxony,  so  celebrated,  for  generations,  for  its 
robustness. 

There  were  two  men  in  Louis  XVI.,  the  man  of  knowledge,  and  the 
man  of  will.  The  first  of  these  possessed  very  extended  and  varied 
qualifications ;  the  King  knew  the  history  of  his  own  family  and  of  the 
first  houses  in  France  perfectly.  He  composed  the  instructions  for  M. 
de  la  Peyrouse's  voyage  round  the  world,  which  the  minister  thought 
were  drawn  up  by  several  members  of  the  Academy  of  Sciences. 

His  memory  contained  an  infinite  number  of  names  and  situations. 
He  remembered  quantities  and  numbers  wonderfully.  One  day,  an 
account  was  presented  to  him,  in  which  the  minister  had  placed  among 
the  expenses  an  item  inserted  in  the  account  of  the  preceding  year. 
"There  is  a  double  charge,"  said  the  King;  "bring  me  last  year's 
account,  and  I  will  show  it  you  there." 

When  the  King  was  perfectly  master  of  the  details  of  any  matter, 
and  when  he  saw  justice  violated,  he  was  obdurate  even  to  harshness. 
A  crying  injustice  forced  him  out  of  his  own  disposition ;  then  he  would 
be  obeyed  instantly,  in  order  to  be  sure  that  he  was  obeyed,  and  to 
prevent  any  negligence  in  that  respect. 

But  on  important  affairs  of  state,  the  King  of  will  and  command,  was 
nowhere  to  be  found.  Louis  XVI.  was,  upon  the  throne,  exactly  what 
those  weak  temperaments,  whom  nature  has  rendered  incapable  of  an 
opinion,  are  in  society.  In  his  pusillanimity,  he  gave  his  confidence 
to  a  minister ;  and  although  amidst  various  counsels,  he  often  knew 
which  was  the  best,  he  never  had  the  resolution  to  say,  "  /  prefer  the 
advice  of  such  a  person."  Herein  originated  the  misfortunes  of  the 
state.  (Soulavie's  Historical  and  Political  Memoirs  of  the  Reign  of 
Louis  XVI.  Vol.  II.) 

Note  (0),  Page  162. 

Madame  Campan,  relating  candidly  and  plainly  what  there  is  of 
truth  in  the  anecdote  since  falsified  by  M.  de  Lauzun,  has  destroyed 
all  the  effect  that  his  malignity  could  possibly  intend.  We  shall 
give  this  anecdote  on  which  even  he,  in  his  folly,  had  no  reason  to 
pride  himself  much,  and  which  his  offended  vanity  has  so  strangely 
travestied. 

"  Madame  de  Gue'me'ne'e  came  up  to  me,  and  said,  in  an  under  tone, 
laughing,  '  Are  you  very  much  attached  to  a  certain  white  heron  plume, 
which  was  in  your  helmet  when  you  took  leave  ?  The  Queen  is  dying 
for  it ;  will  you  refuse  it  to  her  ?'  I  replied  that  I  should  not  dare  to 
offer  it  to  her,  but  that  I  should  be  most  happy  if  she  would  condescend 
to  receive  it  from  Madame  Gue'me'ne'e.  I  sent  a  messenger  to  Paris  for 
it,  and  Madame  de  Gue'me'ne'e  gave  it  to  her  the  next  evening.  She 
wore  it  on  the  very  day  following,  and  when  I  made  my  appearance  at 
her  dinner,  she  asked  me  what  I  thought  of  her  head  dress.  I  replied, 
that  I  liked  it  very  much.  '  I  never,'  said  she,  with  infinite  affability, 


318  HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS 

'saw  myself  so  becomingly  dressed  before.'  It  certainly  would  have 
been  better  if  she  had  not  said  anything  about  it,  for  the  Duke  de  Coig- 
ney  took  notice  both  of  the  feather  and  the  phrase ;  he  asked  whence 
the  plume  came:  the  Queen  said  with  some  embarrassment  that  I  had 
brought  it  to  Madame  de  Gue'mene'e  from  my  travels,  and  that  she  had 
given  it  to  her.  The  Duke  de  Coigney  spoke  about  it  to  Madame  de 
Gue'me'ne'e  in  the  evening,  with  much  asperity,  and  told  her  that  nothing 
could  be  more  ridiculous  or  indecorous,  than  the  footing  I  was  on  with 
the  Queen  ;  that  to  act  the  lover  thus  publicly,  was  a  thing  unheard  of; 
and  that  it  was  incredible  that  she  should  look  as  if  she  approved  of  it. 
What  he  said  was  not  well  received,  and  he  began  to  think  of  contriv- 
ing means  to  get  me  out  of  the  way." 

Now  if  Madame  Campan's  version  be  compared  with  that  we  have  just 
read,  what  will  be  the  result?  that  M.  de  Lauzun  himself  offered  the 
heron's  plume,  and  was  not  asked  for  it ;  that  it  was  worn  out  of  mere 
condescension,  and  that,  in  his  silly  presumption  he  dared  to  take 
that  for  a  proof  of  partiality,  which  was  mere  politeness.  M.  de  Lau- 
zun cannot  conceal  his  presumptious  hopes,  but  his  Memoirs  do  not 
disclose  the  speedy  chastisement  they  met  w.ith.  The  humiliation  he 
must  have  felt,  when  the  Queen  banished  him  from  her  presence  for  ev.er, 
explains  the  resentment  of  a  man  generally  successful  in  his  intrigues, 
and  anxious  to  indulge  his  self-love,  even  at  the  expense  of  honour  and 
truth. 

Note  (P)  Page  167. 

To  a  Lady. 
MADAM, 

I  do  not  think  that  it  is  among  the  duties  of  a  monarch  to  grant  places 
to  one  of  his  subjects,  merely  because  he  is  a  gentleman.  That,  however, 
is  the  inference  from  the  request  you  have  made  to  me.  Your  late 
husband  was,  you  say,  a  distinguished  general,  a  gentleman  of  good 
family ;  and  thence  you  conclude,  that  my  kindness  to  your  family  can 
do  no  less  than  give  a  company  of  foot  to  your  second  son,  lately  re- 
turned from  his  travels. 

Madame,  a  man  may  be  the  son  of  a  general,  and  yet  have  no  talents 
for  command.  A  man  may  be  of  a  good  family,  and  possess  no  other 
merit  than  that  which  he  owes  to  chance,  the  name  of  gentleman. 

I  know  your  son,  and  I  know  what  makes  the  soldier;  and  this  two- 
fold knowledge  convinces  me  that  your  son  has  not  the  disposition  of 
a  warrior,  and  that  he  is  too  proud  of  his  birth,  to  leave  bis  country 
the  least  hope  of  his  ever  rendering  it  any  important  service. 

What  you  are  to  be  pitied  for,  madam,  is,  that  your  son  is  not  fit 
either  for  an  officer,  a  statesman,  or  a  priest ;  in  a  word,  that  he  is 
nothing  more  than  a  gentleman,  in  the  most  extended  acceptation  of 
the  word. 

You  may  be  thankful  to  that  destiny  which,  in  refusing  talents  to 
your  son,  has  taken  care  to  put  him  in  possession  of  great  wealth,  which 
will  sufficiently  compensate  him  for  other  deficiencies,  and  enable  him, 
at  the  same  time,  to  dispense  with  any  favour  from  me. 

I  hope  you  will  be  impartial  enough,  to  feel  the  reasons  which 
prompt  me  to  refuse  your  request.  It  may  be  disagreeable  to  you,  but 
I  consider  it  necessary.  Farewell,  madam. 

Your  sincere  well-wisher,  JOSEPH. 

LacJitenburg,  ±th  August,  1787. 


AND  OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS.  319 

To  Pope  Pius  VI. 
MOST  HOLY  FATHER, 

The  funds  of  the  clergy  of  my  dominions  are  not  destined,  as  has 
6een~.boldly  said  at  Rome,  to  expire  with  my  reign,  but  rather  to 
become  a  relief  to  my  people ;  and,  as  their  continuation,  as  well  as 
the  displeasure  which  has  burst  forth  upon  this  subject,  are  within  the 
jurisdiction  of  history,  posterity  will  be  masters  of  the  matter  without 
our  co-operation :  this,  then,  will  be  a  monument  of  my  time,  and  I 
hope  not  the  only  one. 

I  have  suppressed  the  superfluous  convents,  and  the  still  more  super- 
fluous societies :  their  revenues  serve  to  support  curates  and  to  ame- 
liorate the  primary  institutions ;  but  amidst  all  the  confidence  in 
matters  of  account,  which  I  am  obliged  to  place  in  persons  employed 
by  the  state,  the  funds  of  the  latter  have,  with  me,  absolutely  nothing 
in  common  with  those  of  the  church.  An  action  should  be  judged  of 
only  by  its  intention,  and  the  results  of  this  action  can  only  be  appre- 
ciated by  their  success,  which  will  not  be  known  for  some  years. 

I  see,  however,  that  logic  is  not  the  same  at  Rome,  as  it  is  in  my 
dominions ;  and  hence  arises  this  want  of  harmony  between  Italy  and 
the  empire. 

If  your  holiness  had  taken  the  charitable  care  to  inform  yourself,  at 
the  proper  source,  of  what  was  passing  in  my  territories,  many  things 
would  not  have  happened ;  but  there  were  people  at  Rome  who,  as  it 
appears  to  me,  would  have  darkness  spread  itself  more  and  more  over 
our  poor  globe. 

You  have  now  the  brief  account  of  the  causes  which  have  compelled 
my  arrangements ;  I  hope  you  will  excuse  the  conciseness  of  my  letter, 
on  consideration,  that  I  have  neither  the  time  nor  the  talent  necessary 
for  discussing  so  vast  a  theme  in  the  manner  used  in  a  Roman  museum. 

I  pray  God  still  to  preserve  you  to  his  church,  and  to  send  one  of 
his  angels  before  you,  to  prepare  for  you  the  ways  of  heaven. 

Your  most  obedient  son  in  Jesus  Christ,  JOSEPH. 

Vienna,  July,  1784. 

To  a  Lady. 
MADAM, 

You  know  my  disposition:  you  are  not  ignorant  that  the  society  of 
the  ladies  is  to  me  a  mere  recreation,  and  that  I  have  never  sacrificed 
my  principles  to  the  fair  sex.  I  pay  but  little  attention  to  recommen- 
dations ;  and  I  only  take  them  into  consideration,  when  the  person,  in 
whose  behalf  I. may  be  solicited,  possesses  real  merit. 

Two  of  your  sons  are  already  loaded  with  favours.  The  eldest,  who 
is  not  yet  twenty,  is  chief  of  a  squadron  in  my  army ;  and  the  youngest 
has  obtained  a  prebend  at  Cologne,  from  the  Elector,  my  brother 
What  would  you  have  more  ?  Would  you  have  the  first  a  general,  and 
the  second  a  bishop  ? 

In  France  you  may  see  colonels  in  leading  strings;  and  in  Spain,  the 
royal  princes  command  armies  even  at  eighteen ;  hence  Prince  Stahrem- 
berg  forced  them  to  retreat  so  often,  that  they  were  never  able,  all  the 
rest  of  their  lives,  to  comprehend  any  other  manoeuvre. 

It  is  necessary  to  be  sincere  at  court,  and  severe  in  the  field ;  stoical 
without  obduracy;  magnanimous  without  weakness ;  and  to  gain  the 

28* 


S20  HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS 

esteem  of  our  enemies  by  the  justice  of  our  actions :  and  this,  'madame, 
is  what  I  aim  at.  JOSEPH. 

Vienna,  September,  1787. 

(Extract  from  the  unedited  letters  from  Joseph  II.,  published  at 
Paris,  by  Persan,  1822.) 

Note  (Q),  Page  182. 

"Maurepas  (Jean-Frederic-Phelippeaux,  Count  de),  sprung  from  a 
family  originally  of  Blois,  and  acknowledged  noble  from  1399.  was  the 
son  of  Jerome,  minister  and  secretary  of  state,  and  grandson  of  Chan- 
cellor de  Pontchartrain,  whose  father  and  grandfather  were  also  in 
administration ;  so  that  these  places  remained  in  the  same  family,  one 
hundred  and  seventy-one  years  (from  1610  to  1781).  The  Count  de 
Maurepas,  who  was  born  in  1701,  was  a  knight  of  Malta,  before  he  was 
of  age.  At  fourteen  he  was  appointed  secretary  of  state,  in  the  room 
of  his  father,  who  had  just  resigned.  The  Marquis  de  la  Vrilliere  was 
deputed  to  execute  the  office,  and  to  train  up  the  young  minister,  who  was 
related  to  him,  and  shortly  afterwards  became  his  son-in-law,  to  the 
business  of  his  post.  The  Count  de  Maurepas  lost  his  father-in-law  in 
1725,  and  then,  and  not  till  then,  began  his  administration,  which 
extended  over  several  large  provinces,  over  Paris,  the  court  and  the 
navy.  He  was  at  that  time  but  twenty-four ;  and  thus  early  did  he 
betray  the  levity,  carelessness  and  frivolity  of  disposition,  which  con- 
tinued unconnected  by  either  the  lessons  of  disgrace,  or  the  maturity 
of  age,  throughout  the  whole  course  of  a  conspicuous  career,  which 
nature  and  fortune  combined  to  prolong  to  a  very  advanced  period. 
He  is  thus  described  by  one  of  his  contemporaries :  '  Superficial  and 
incapable  of  steady  and  profound  application,  but  blest  with  a  degree 
of  intelligence  and  a  quickness  of  perception,  which  in  an  instant  un- 
ravelled the  most  complicated  knot  of  any  affair,  his  experience  and 
address  made  amends  in  council  for  his  want  of  study  and  reflection. 
He  was  prepossessing  and  easy,  supple  and  insinuating,  flexible,  fertile 
in  stratagems  for  attack,  resources  for  defence,  feints  to  elude,  evasions, 
repartees  to  laugh  down  serious  opposition,  and  expedients  for  retriev- 
ing false  steps,  and  surmounting  difficulties :  he  seized,  with  the  eye 
of  a  lynx,  the  weak  points  or  the  singularities  of  men;  was  master 
of  the  art  of  imperceptibly  drawing  them  into  his  snare,  or  leading  them 
into  his  views ;  and  of  the  still  more  formidable  talent  of  ridiculing 
everything,  even  merit,  when  he  wished  to  depreciate  it :  finally,  the  art 
of  enlivening  and  simplifying  the  labours  of  the  cabinet,  made  M.  de 
Maurepas  one  of  the  most  seductive  of  ministers.' 

"He  was  looked  upon  as  a  great  statesman,  merely  because  he  had 
written  four  malicious  verses  against  a  hated  favourite.  'If,'  says 
Marinontel,  '  to  teach  a  young  prince  how  to  conduct  'business  lightly 
and  adroitly,  to  sport  with  men  and  things,  to  make  reigning  an 
amusement,  had  been  all  that  was  requisite,  Maurepas  was  certainly 
the  man  for  the  purpose.'  Perhaps  it  was  hoped,  that  age  and  misfor- 
tune had  given  him  greater  solidity,  constancy,  and  energy  of  charac- 
ter ;  but,  naturally  weak,  indolent,  and  selfish,  fond  of  his  comforts, 
and  of  rest,  desirous  that  his  old  age  should  be  honoured  and  quiet, 
carefully  avoiding  everything  that  could  sadden  his  evening's  meal, 
or  disturb  his  slumbers,  scarcely  believing  in  the  self-denying  virtues, 
and  considering  pure  public  spirit  as  mere  ostentation  or  chimera  ; 
careless  of  any  conspicuous  merit  in  his  administration,  making  the 


AND  OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS.  321 

art  of  governing  to  consist  in  conducting  all  things  quietly,  and  ever 
consulting  considerations  rather  than  principles,  Maurepas  was,  in  his 
old  age,  just  what  he  had  been  in  his  youth,  an  agreeable  man,  intent 
on  his  own  advantage,  a-nd  a  courtly  minister." — Biographic  Universelle, 
vol.  xxvii. 

Note  (R),  Page  202. 

"Marie  Antoinette  could  not  be  accused  of  having,  when  on  the 
throne,  falsified  the  favourable  idea  formed  of  her  virtues,  while  she 
lived  in  a  less  elevated  rank.  She  continued  to  manifest,  in  the  inte- 
rior of  her  court,  the  same  aversion  to  etiquette.  She  gave  up  neither 
her  walks,  nor  her  visits  to  Paris.  Excepting  on  days  of  ceremony, 
she  liked  to  dress  in  the  plainest  manner,  but  the  air  of  dignity,  for 
which  she  was  remarkable,  rendered  it  easy  to  guess  her  rank. 

This  plainness  began  to  be  warmly  censured,  at  first  among  the 
courtiers,  and  afterwards  throughout  the  rest  of  the  kingdom :  and, 
through  one  of  those  inconsistencies,  more  common  in  France  than 
elsewhere,  all  the  while  the  Queen  was  blamed,  she  was  imitated  to  a 
folly.  There  was  not  a  woman  but  would  have  the  same  undress,  the 
same  cap,  and  the  same  feathers,  as  she  had  been  seen  to  wear. 
They  crowded  to  one  Madame  Bertin,  her  milliner ;  there  was  an  abso- 
lute revolution  in  the  dress  of  our  ladies,  which  gave  a  kind  of  conse- 
quence to  that  woman.  Long  trains,  and  all  those  shapes  which  confer 
a  certain  nobleness  upon  dress,  were  discarded ;  and,  at  last,  a  duchess 
could  not  be  distinguished  from  an  actress. 

The  men  caught  the  mania;  the  upper  classes  had  long  before  given 
up  feathers,  tufts  of  ribbon,  and  laced  hats,  to  their  lacqueys.  They 
now  got  rid  of  red  heels  and  embroidery ;  and  were  pleased  to  walk 
about  our  streets  in  plain  cloth,  short  thick  shoes,  and  with  knotty 
cudgels  in  their  hands. 

Many  got  into  degrading  scrapes,  in  consequence  of  this  metamor- 
phosis. Mixed  with  the  mob,  and  bearing  no  mark  to  distinguish  them 
from  the  common  herd,  it  so  happened  that  some  of  the  lowest  classes 
got  into  quarrels  with  them,  and  in  conflict  with  the  rabble,  the  man 
of  rank  had  not  always  the  superiority.  It  was  thus  that  the  second 
order  destroyed  the  respect  which  had  always  been  paid  to  it,  and 
hastened  that  reign  of  equality  which  proved  so  detrimental  to  it. 

These  changes  produced  a  still  more  serious  inconvenience,  in  their 
powerful  influence  over  morals;  for,  on  the  one  hand,  there  was  too 
strong  a  taste  for  the  manners  and  habits  of  the  common  people,  as 
well  as  for  those  democratical  maxims,  which  tend  to  bring  all  to  a 
level ;  and,  on  the  other,  the  common  people  were  habituated  to  con- 
tempt, insubordination,  and  insolence.  This  is  a  forcible  lesson  for 
those  who  reign.  They  too  often  forget  that  they  do  nothing,  if  they 
know  not  the  temper  of  the  people  they  govern  perfectly  well ;  and 
that  it  sometimes  is  with  customs  adopted  from  foreigners,  as  it  is  with 
certain  plants,  which,  by  mere  change  of  climate,  become  poisonous." 
— (History  of  Marie  Antoinette,  by  Montjoie.) 

Note  (S),  Page  204. 

"  The  Queen  showed  herself  as  little  the  slave  of  ceremony  in  her 
choice  of  amusements ;  theatrical  performances  took  place  in  her  inner 
apartments :  she  condescended  to  take  characters,  and  those  characters 


322  HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS 

•were  not  always  of  the  most  dignified  description  ;  she  also  played  in 
comic  operas.  This  sort  of  amusement  was,  like  her  plainness  in 
dress,  blamed  and  imitated ;  all  classes  of  society  imbibed  a  taste  for 
theatrical  representations ;  there  was  not  a  man  of  rank,  a  financier, 
nor  even  a  citizen  in  easy  circumstance^,  who  would  be  without  his 
theatre,  or  who  would  not  copy  the  behaviour  of  actors,  while  in  it. 
Formerly  a  private  gentleman  would  have  been  disgraced,  if  suspected 
of  metamorphosing  himself  into  an  actor,  even  in  his  own  circle.  The 
Queen  having,  by  her  example,  put  an  end  to  this  salutary  prejudice, 
the  very  head  of  the  magistracy,  unmindful  of  the  dignity  of  his  place, 
got  by  heart  the  lowest  comic  parts,  and  performed  them. 

The  mania,  as  it  became  general,  gradually  filled  up  the  chasm 
which  had  always  separated  actors  from  the  other  classes  of  society; 
they  were  associated  with  more  freely,  and  public  morals  gained  but 
little  by  the  connection. 

The  Queen  got  through  the  characters  she  assumed,  indifferently 
enough ;  she  could  not  be  ignorant  of  this,  as  her  performances  evidently 
excited  little  pleasure.  Indeed,  one  day,  while  she  was  thus  exhibiting 
herself,  somebody  ventured  to  say,  by  no  means  inaudibly,  "  Well,  this 
is  playing  royally  ill."  The  lesson  was  thrown  away  upon  her;  for 
never  did  she  sacrifice  to  the  opinion  of  another,  that  which  she  thought 
indifferent  in  itself,  or  not  absolutely  forbidden  to  her. 

Louis  XIV.  had  a  similar  taste ;  he  danced  upon  the  stage ;  but  he 
had  shown,  by  brilliant  actions,  that  he  knew  how  to  enforce  respect ; 
and,  besides,  he  unhesitatingly  gave  up  the  amusement  in  question, 
from  the  moment  he  heard  those  beautiful  lines,  in  which  Racine 
pointed  out  how  very  unworthy  of  him  such  pastimes  were. 

The  Queen  was  not  equally  tractable.  When  she  was  told,  that  by 
her  extreme  plainness  in  dress,  the  nature  of  her  amusements,  and  her 
dislike  to  that  splendour  which  ought  always  to  attend  a  queen,  she 
gave  herself  an  appearance  of  levity,  which  was  misinterpreted  by  a 
portion  of  the  public:  she  replied  with  Madame  de  Maintenon:  "I  am 
upon  the  stage,  and,  of  course,  I  shall  be  either  hissed  or  applauded." — 
(History  of  Marie  Antoinette,  by  Montjoie.) 

Note  (T),  Page  206. 

"Franklin  was  born  at  Boston,  in  New  England,  on  the  17th  of 
January,  1706.  His  father  was  a  tallow-chandler,  and  he  himself  was 
brought  up  to  that  trade.  At  the  age  of  fourteen,  burning  with  a 
thirst  for  information,  he  left  the  paternal  roof  for  Philadelphia,  and 
succeeded  in  procuring  admission  into  one  of  the  two  printing-houses 
then  in  that  place,.  There  he  lived  for  a  twelvemonth  upon  bread  and 
water,  in  order  to  enable  himself  to  buy  those  books  which  he  required 
for  studying  the  sciences.  His  progress,  and  his  discoveries,  par- 
ticularly in  natural  philosophy,  procured  him  a  high  reputation.  It 
is  known,  that  to  him  we  are  indebted  for  the  invention  of  lightning 
rods,  and  for  the  power  of  fearlessly  attracting  and  directing  the  fire 
of  heaven.  Study  did  not  occasion  him  to  neglect  his  fortune.  For 
a  long  time,  he  got  his  livelihood  by  printing  and  bookselling.  Esteemed 
by  his  fellow-citizens,  he  became  post-master  general  for  North  America, 
a  lucrative  place.  He  still  held  it  when  he  appeared  in  February, 
1766,  before  the  English  House  of  Commons,  on  the  question  as  to 
revoking  the  stamp  duty.  He  firmly  maintained  the  right  of  the  British 


AND  OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS.  323 

Colonies,  as  being  unrepresented  in  the  Parliament  of  England,  to  tax 
themselves." — (Historical  Anecdotes  of  the  Reign  of  Louis  XVL,  vol.  iv.) 

In  the  same  work,  we  afterwards  find  the  following  particulars : — 

"Messrs.  Deane  and  Franklin,  deputies  from  the  insurgents  in  1777, 
lived  at  Paris,  without  retinue,  without  splendour,  and  without  osten- 
tation;  they  showed  a  citizen-like  plainness.  Dr.  Franklin  was  very 
much  sought  after,  and  constantly  entertained,  not  only  by  his  scienti- 
fic brethren,  but  by  all  who  could  persuade  him  to  visit  them ;  for  he 
did  not  easily  suffer  himself  to  be  drawn  out,  and  lived  in  a  state  of 
privacy,  which  was  supposed  to  have  been  enjoined  him  by  his  govern- 
ment. He  dressed  himself  in  the  very  plainest  manner.  His  physiog- 
nomy was  fine,  and  he  constantly  wore  spectacles :  he  had  but  little 
hair,  and  always  wore  a  fur  cap,  no  powder ;  yet  an  air  of  cleanliness, 
linen  perfectly  white,  and  a  brown  coat,  formed  the  whole  outward 
ornament  of  his  person.  His  only  weapon  was  a  stick  which  he  carried 
in  his  hand. 

"Powerfully  solicited  by  Silas  Deane  and  Franklin,  the  court  of 
France  began  to  take  an  interest  in  insurgent  America.  Beaumarchais, 
who  intrigued  with  the  Count  de  Maurepas,  knew  how  to  profit  by  cir- 
cumstances. He  was  privately  authorized  to  trade  in  arms  with  the 
English  colonies.  They  were  partly  indebted  for  the  unexpected  ad- 
vantage of  the  warlike  stores  necessary  for  their  earliest  campaigns, 
to  the  influence  and  activity  of  that  agent.  Beaumarchais  gained  immense 
sums  by  selling  them  at  a  dear  rate,  his  zeal  and  services  ;  and  laughed 
at  the  accusation,  whether  well  or  ill  founded,  of  having  sold  them  worn- 
out  arms,  and  the  worst  stores  of  all  kinds. 

"  Mr.  Deane,  tired  out  by  the  delays,  and  even  excuses  of  M.  de  Sar- 
tine,  then  minister  of  the  marine,  wrote  to  him,  that  unless  within  forty- 
eight  hours  he  made  up  his  mind  to  get  the  treaty  of  alliance  between 
France  and  North  America  signed,  he  would  negotiate  with  England 
for  a  reconciliation.  He  adopted  this  hasty  and  irregular  course,  with- 
out the  participation  of  his  colleague.  The  moment  Dr.  Franklin  heard 
of  it  he  thought  all  was  lost.  'You  have  offended  the  court  of  France, 
and  ruined  America,'  exclaimed  the  philosopher.  'Be  easy  until  we 
get  an  answer,'  replied  the  negotiator.  '  An  answer !  we  shall  be  thrown 
into  the  Bastille.'  '  That  remains  to  be  seen.' 

"After  the  lapse  of  a  few  hours,  M.  de  Sartine's  chief  secretary  made 
his  appearance.  'You  are  requested,  gentlemen,  to  hold  yourselves  in 
readiness  for  an  interview  at  midnight;  you  will  be  called  for.' 

"  '  At  midnight !'  cries  Doctor  Franklin,  the  moment  the  secretary  had 
gone,  'my  prediction  is  verified,  Mr.  Deane,  you  have  ruined  all.' 

"  They  were,  of  course,  called  upon  at  the  appointed  hour.  The 
American  envoys  got  into  a  carriage,  and  reached  a  country  house  five 
leagues  from  Paris,  where  M.  de  Sartine  chose  to  receive  them,  the 
better  to  hide  this  step  under  the  veil  of  mystery.  They  were  intro- 
duced to  the  minister,  and  the  declaration,  so  imperiously  demanded  by 
Mr.  Deane,  was  instantly  signed. 

"  The  American  deputies  returned  to  Paris  in  triumph  ;  and  Franklin 
confessed,  that  in  politics  patience  was  not  always  the  only  thing  to  be 
relied  on. 

"  AVhen  the  loss,  sustained  by  the  United  States  of  America,  was  made 
known  in  France  on  the  llth  of  June,  1790,  Mirabcau  ascended  the 
tribune  of  the  National  Assembly,  and  spoke  thus  :  — 

"Franklin  is  dead  ;  he  is  returned  to  the  bosom  of  the  Deity.     The 


824  HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS 

sage,  for  whom  the  two  worlds  contend,  the  man  claimed  both  by  the 
history  of  science,  and  that  of  empires,  doubtless  held  a  high  rank 
among  the  human  species.  Long  enough  have  political  bodies  notified 
the  deaths  of  those,  great  only  in  their  funeral  eulogies  ;  long  enough 
has  the  etiquette  of  courts  proclaimed  mourning  for  losses  unregretted  : 
nations  should  mourn  for  their  benefactors  alone. — Congress  has  ordered 
throughout  the  confederate  states,  a  two  months'  mourning  for  the  death 
of  Franklin.  Would  it  not  be  worthy  of  us,  gentlemen,  to  join  in  this 
religious  act,  to  contribute  to  the  respect  paid  in  the  face  of  the  uni- 
verse, to  the  rights  of  man,  and,  at  the  same  time,  to  the  philosopher, 
•who  has  most  contributed  to  spread  the  assertion  of  them  all  over  the 
earth?  The  ancients  would  have  raised  altars  to  that  powerful  genius, 
who,  for  the  good  of  mortals,  grasping  in  his  mind  both  heaven  and 
earth,  learned  how  to  subdue  the  thunder  of  the  one,  and  the  tyrants 
of  the  other. 

"  The  National  Assembly  unanimously  decreed  a  public  mourning  for 
three  days. 

"  The  municipality  of  Paris,  desirous  to  do  marked  homage  to  the 
memory  of  a  man,  who  was  animated  by  genius  of  science  and  the 
love  of  liberty,  had  his  funeral  oration  pronounced  by  the  Abb6  Fau- 
chet,  president  of  the  council-general  of  the  commune,  in  the  immense 
and  superb  rotunda  of  the  corn-market,  in  the  midst  of  which  a  funeral 
trophy  was  raised.  The  whole  interior  of  the  rotunda  was  lined  with 
black ;  a  candelabra  attached  to  each  pillar,  a  row  of  lamps  above  the 
cornice,  and  an  amphitheatre  all  round  the  building,  filled  with  audi- 
tors in  mourning,  presented  a  sight  equally  majestic  and  solemn.  The 
National  Assembly  attended  by  deputation." 

Note  (U),  Page  219. 

"  The  King  (of  Naples),  having  attained  his  eighteenth  year,  married 
Maria  Caroline  of  Austria,  daughter  of  the  illustrious  Maria  Theresa 
(1768).  His  marriage  held  out  hopes  to  the  Neapolitan  nation,  that 
Austria  would  thenceforward  no  longer  aim  at  the  throne  of  Naples,  and 
would  long  leave  them  at  rest.  But,  from  that  moment,  the  influence  of 
the  cabinet  of  Madrid  ceased.  England  and  Austria  had  combined  their 
interests ;  and  the  former,  by  her  commerce,  and  the  latter  by  alliances, 
had  already  assumed  the  most  powerful  control  over  the  affairs  of  Italy. 
Austria  did  not  neglect  the  ready  means  offered  by  fortune,  of  securing 
her  own  influence,  over  the  court  of  Naples.  It  was  stipulated,  in  the 
contract  of  marriage  between  Ferdinand  and  Caroline,  that  after  the 
birth  of  their  first  son,  the  young  queen  should  be  admitted  into  the 
council,  form  a  member  of  it,  and  even  have  a  deliberative  voice  there  ; 
a  privilege  which  she  did  not  fail  to  claim,  as  soon  as  she  was  entitled 
to  it.  It  was  then,  though  too  late,  that  Tanucci  saw  the  error  he  had 
committed,  in  not  opposing  such  a  clause  with  all  his  strength.  He 
endeavoured,  however,  to  elude  it;  but  the  Queen,  equally  penetrating 
and  ambitious,  and  daily  gaining  an  ascendancy  over  her  husband, 
discovered  the  cause  of  the  obstacles  thrown  in  the  way  of  her  views, 
by  the  improvident  minister,  and  determined  to  get  rid  of  him.  Ta- 
nucci was  very  soon  turned  out  of  office,  mortified  even  to  disgust,  and 
tortured  with  regret  (1777).  Like  so  many  others,  who  preceded  him 
in  the  most  perilous  of  all  careers,  he  withdrew  to  end  those  days 
which  he  had,  however,  spent  honourably,  in  retirement.  Though  the 
court  was  unthankful,  the  people  were  grateful,  and  even  to  this  day 


AND  OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS.  326 

his  memory  is  held  in  veneration.  He  was  the  Sully,  or  the  Colbert 
of  the  country. 

The  Queen  had  the  address  to  select  an  easy  man,  who  would  lend 
himself  to  her  views.  The  Marquis  de  Sambuca  was  appointed  to  suc- 
ceed the  fallen  minister ;  and  thus,  according  to  the  not  uncommon 
course,  mediocrity  filled  the  place  vacated  by  merit.  From  this  mo- 
ment, the  Queen's  power  and  influence  were  firmly  established. 

Never  did  any  kingdom  stand  more  in  need  of  a  naval  force,  than 
that  of  Naples.  Even  if  it  were  not  of  consequence  to  her  for  the 
protection  of  commerce,  and  for  securing  the  communication  between 
the  two  Sicilies,  it  certainly  is  indispensable,  both  to  repress  the  auda- 
city of  the  African  pirates,  and  to  prevent  those  barbarians  from 
attacking  the  security  and  quiet  of  the  Neapolitan  shores.  The  neces- 
sity of  either  forming  a  new  marine  force,  or  improving  that  already 
in  existence,  was  obvious.  The  first  step  was  to  find  out  a  skilful  naval 
tactician,  for  the  office  of  minister  of  marine  ;  but  the  government  was 
unwilling  to  take  one,  either  from  Spain  or  France.  The  Chevalier 
Acton  had  served  some  time  in  the  navy,  but  he  had  experienced  mor- 
tifications in  the  service,  and  had  left  it.  He  was  proposed  to  the 
Queen,  and  was  accepted. 

This  officer,  at  that  time,  commanded  the  naval  force  of  the  Duke  of 
Tuscany.  He  had  acquired  some  reputation  in  various  expeditions 
against  the  people  of  Barbary,  and  especially  in  an  enterprise  against 
the  Algerines,  undertaken  by  the  Spaniards,  Neapolitans,  and  Tuscans, 
in  conjunction.  Still  young,  ambitious,  but  without  genius,  and  know- 
ing little  more  than  navigation,  he  was  gifted,  by  way  of  compensation, 
with  great  docility,  and  much  adroitness :  and,  by  seconding  the  designs 
of  the  Queen,  to  whom  he  owed  his  good  fortune,  he  was  not  long  in 
entering  upon  what  is  called  a  brilliant  career. 

Caroline,  who  was  born  ambitious,  had  the  same  spirit  of  innovation 
as  her  brother  Joseph,  without  possessing  either  his  talents  or  philo- 
sophy. She  wanted  his  masculine  perseverance  and  firmness  of  dispo- 
sition. She  first  ordered,  that  certain  roads,  requisite  for  internal 
commerce,  should  be  opened,  and,  in  order  to  defray  the  expenses, 
created  a  tax,  which  was  annually  to  bring  in  three  hundred  thousand 
ducats  :  but  these  useful  works  were  suspended,  almost  as  soon  as 
begun :  the  produce  of  the  new  tax  was  diverted  to  other  purposes, 
and  although  it  was  to  have  been  only  temporary,  the  receipt  of  it  was 
continued. 

However,  Acton  was  intrusted  with  the  administration  of  the  navy. 
A  regeneration,  or  rather  a  new  creation  of  the  whole  Neapolitan 
marine,  was  expected  from  him ;  and  he  began  with  a  most  grievous 
error.  The  great  object  of  a  navy  at  Naples,  should  be  the  protection 
of  trade,  which  mainly  consists  in  exportation  of  the  produce  of  the 
country,  against  the  Barbary  powers.  Acton  was  wholly  intent  upon 
giving  ships  of  the  line,  and  frigates,  to  a  state  which  principally 
needed  small  vessels  that  hold  little  water,  and  are  capable  of  following 
the  pirates  wherever  they  might  retreat,  into  creeks  and  the  most  con- 
fined harbours.  This  mistake  cost  the  nation  considerable  sums,  and 
the  small  vessels  which  it  possessed  already,  and  which,  armed  as  cor- 
sairs, had  become  truly  formidable  to  the  African  pirates,  were  sacri- 
ficed with  singular  imprudence. 

In  spite  of  the  ill  success  of  these  innovations,  alterations,  and  what 
were  termed  improvements,  were  always  going  on  in  the  court  of 


826  HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Naples  ;  and  a  reform  in  the  military  department  began  to  be  thought 
of.  According  to  the  ordinances  of  Charles  III.,  the  army  was  not  to 
consist  of  fewer  than  thirty  thousand  men  ;  but,  as  almost  always 
happens  in  time  of  peace,  when  government  does  not  keep  a  watchful 
eye  upen  the  army,  the  effective  soliers  did  not  exceed  half  the  pre- 
scribed number,  that  is  to  say,  fifteen  thousand  men.  The  Chevalier 
Acton,  having  procured  for  himself  the  administration  of  the  army,  as 
well  as  that  of  the  navy,  increased  the  number  of  soldiers,  but  made 
no  change  in  the  prevailing  ruinous  system,  and  took  no  pains  to 
introduce  discipline  and  good  order  among  the  troops. 

But  before  we  trace  the  minister  Acton's  methods  of  re-organizing 
the  army,  let  us  glance  over  the  political  events,  which  occupied  the 
court  of  Naples  for  the  eight  or  ten  years  preceding  the  period  at 
which  we  shall  see  it  taking  a  part  among  the  powers  in  league  against 
the  French  nation. 

Doubtless  the  King  of  Spain  did  not  see,  without  uneasiness,  that 
since  an  Austrian  had  entered  the  council  of  the  King  his  son,  he  him- 
self had  lost  every  atom  of  influence  there ;  and  that  England  favoured 
any  scheme  prejudicial  to  France,  to  which  latter  country,  so  many 
circumstances,  and  particularly  the  interest  of  commerce,  ought 
strongly  to  attach  the  kingdom  of  Naples.  But  Charles  III.,  for  a 
long  time,  contented  himself  with  merely  advising,  or  remonstrating 
with  moderation,  either  by  letter  or  embassy :  he  soon  found  it  neces- 
sary to  speak  out,  like  an  incensed  father,  and  indeed  almost  like  a 
master. 

France  was  accustomed  to  buy  timber  in  Calabria ;  Acton  prevented 
France  from  taking  any  more  of  it  out  of  the  kingdom,  upon  pretence 
that  it  was  wanted  for  the  navy  he  was  forming.  The  court  of  Ver- 
sailles dissembled  its  resentment. 

Just  at  this  time  happened  the  dreadful  earthquake  in  Calabria,  by 
which  so  many  thousands  of  persons  lost  their  lives,  and  so  many 
others  remained  without  shelter  or  food.  Upon  the  news  of  this  dis- 
aster, the  court  of  France,  forgetting  all  grounds  of  offence,  despatched 
a  frigate  laden  with  wheat,  to  enable  the  King  of  Naples  to  afford 
prompt  assistance  to  the  wretched  inhabitants  of  the  desolated  districts. 
The  minister  drily  refused  a  gift  which  certainly  had  nothing  injurious 
in  its  nature,  and  which  could  not  be  otherwise  than  disinterested :  so 
indiscriminate  is  hatred ! 

This  line  of  conduct  towards  France  so  irritated  King  Charles,  that, 
abandoning  his  system  of  forbearance,  he  ordered  his  son  to  dismiss  a 
minister,  who  thus  abused  his  confidence.  Acton,  supported  by  the 
favour  of  the  Queen,  defied  the  King  of  Spain's  anger,  and  his  orders 
were  disobeyed.  The  favourite  came  off  in  the  contest  with  increased 
strength.  Austria  and  England  were  then  the  only  powers  received  with 
warmth  or  consideration  at  the  court  of  Naples :  the  envoys  of  Spain, 
and  of  France,  met  with  rebuffs,  and  often  insults. — (Memoirs  of  the 
Kingdom  of  Naples,  by  Count  Gregory  Orloff,  vol.  ii.) 

Note  (V),  Page  248. 

When  the  news  of  the  attempt  made  against  the  King's  life  became 
publicly  known,  the  populace  evinced  the  greatest  rage  and  despair. 
They  assembled  under  the  windows  of  Madame  (de  Pompadour),  utter- 
ing threatening  cries.  She  began  to  dread  the  fate  of  Madame  de 
Chateauroux.  Her  friends  every  moment  came  in  to  bring  her  intelli- 


AND  OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS.  827 

gence.  Many  only  came  out  of  curiosity  to  see  how  she  behaved.  She 
did  nothing  but  weep  and  faint  by  turns.  Dr.  Quesnay  saw  the  King 
five  or  six  times  a  day.  "There  is  nothing  to  fear,"  said  he;  "if  it 
were  any  other  person,  he  might  go  to  a  ball."  I  told  Madame,  that 
the  keeper  of  the  seals  had  had  an  interview  with  the  King,  from  which 
he  had  returned  to  his  own  residence,  followed  by  a  crowd  of  people. 
"And  that  is  a  friend!"  said  she,  bursting  into  tears.  The  Abbe  Bernis 
said  this  was  not  a  time  to  form  a  precipitate  judgment  of  him.  Half 
an  hour  afterwards  I  returned  into  the  drawing-room :  the  keeper  of 
the  seals  came  in.  "How  is  Madame  de  Pompadour?"  said  he,  with  a 
cold  and  severe  air:  "  As  you  may  easily  imagine,"  I  replied;  and  he 
entered  her  apartment,  where  he  remained  half  an  hour  alone  with 
her.  At  length  she  rang ;  I  went  in,  followed  by  the  Abbe"  Bernis : 
"  I  must  go,  my  dear  abbe,"  said  she.  She  gave  orders  for  all  her 
domestics  to  be  ready  to  set  out.  To  several  ladies,  who  came  to  con- 
dole with  her,  she  compared  the  conduct  of  M.  de  Machault,  the  keeper 
of  the  seals,  with  that  of  the  Duke  de  Richelieu  at  Metz.  "  He  believes, 
or  pretends  to  believe,"  said  she,  "that  the  priests  will  require  me  to 
be  sent  away  with  disgrace ;  but  Quesnay  and  all  the  physicians  say 
there  is  not  the  slightest  danger." 

Madame  de  Mirepoix  came  in,  crying  out,  "What  are  all  these  trunks 
for,  madame ?  Your  servants  say  you  are  leaving  us." — "Alas!  my 
dear  friend,  such  is  the  will  of  the  master,  at  least  so  says  M.  de  Ma- 
chault."— "And  what  is  his  advice  ?" — "  To  set  out  immediately." — "  He 
wishes  to  be  master  himself,"  said  Madame  de  Mirepoix,  "  and  he  is 
betraying  you.  Whoever  leaves  the  game  loses  it." 

M.  de  Marigny  afterwards  told  me,  that  an  appearance  of  an  intended 
departure  would  be  kept  up,  to  avoid  irritating  the  enemies  of  Madame  : 
that  the  little  marechale  (Madame  de  Mirepoix)  had  decided  the 
matter ;  and  that  the  keeper  of  the  seals  would  be  the  sufferer. — Ques- 
nay came  in,  and  with  his  usual  grimaces,  related  a  fable  of  a  fox, 
who  being  at  dinner  with  other  animals,  persuaded  one  of  them  that 
his  enemies  were  seeking  him,  and  having  induced  him  to  withdraw, 
devoured  his  share  in  his  absence.  I  did  not  see  Madame  until  much 
later,  when  she  was  going  to  bed.  She  was  more  calm,  affairs  were 
improving.  Machault,  that  faithless  friend,  was  dismissed.  The  King 
came  as  usual  to  Madame.  A  few  days  afterwards,  Madame  paid  a 
visit  to  M.  d'Argenson.  She  returned  much  out  of  temper,  and  the 
King  shortly  afterwards  arrived.  I  heard  Madame  sobbing.  The 
Abbe"  Bernis  came  to  me,  and  desired  me  to  carry  her  some  Hoffman's 
drops.  The  King  himself  prepared  the  potion  with  some  sugar,  and 
presented  it  to  her  with  the  most  gracious  air.  She  smiled,  and  kissed 
his  hands.  I  withdrew,  and  the  next  day  heard  of  the  exile  of  M. 
d'Argenson.  He  was  much  to  blame ;  and  this  was  the  greatest  btretch 
of  Madame's  influence.  The  King  was  very  much  attached  to  M. 
d'Argenson,  and  the  war  by  sea  and  land  rendered  it  very  impolitic  to 
discard  these  two  ministers. — (Journal  of  Madame  de  Hausset.) 

Note  (W),  Page  254. 

Madame  one  day  called  me  into  her  cabinet,  where  the  King  waH 
walking  up  and  down,  with  a  very  serious  air.  "You  must,"  said  she, 
"go  and  pass  a  few  days  in  the  avenue  of  St.  Cloud,  at  a  house  which 
will  be  pointed  out  to  you,  where  you  will  find  a  young  ]adj  ready  to 

VOL.  i. — 29 


328  HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS 

lie  in.  Like  one  of  the  goddesses  of  the  poets,  you  will  preside  at  the 
birth.  The  object  of  your  mission  is,  that  everything  may  take  place 
according  to  the  King's  wishes  and  secretly.  You  will  be  present  at 
the  christening,  and  give  the  names  of  the  father  and  mother."  The 
King  began  to  laugh,  and  said,  "  The  father  is  a  very  worthy  man." 
Madame  added — "Beloved  by  everybody;  and  adored  by  all  who  are 
acquainted  with  him."  Madame  went  to  a  drawer  and  took  out  a  little 
casket,  which  she  opened,  and  produced  a  diamond  aigrette,  saying  to 
the  King,  "  I  had  reasons  for  not  getting  a  finer  one." — "  It  is  too  hand- 
some as  it  is,"  said  the  King,  embracing  Madame,  "  how  kind  you  are !" 
She  shed  tears  of  emotion,  and  placing  her  hand  on  the  King's  heart, 
said, — "  It  is  there  that  my  wishes  are  centered."  Tears  now  came 
into  the  King's  eyes  also ;  nor  could  I  refrain  from  crying,  though  I 
scarcely  knew  why.  The  King  then  said  to  me,  "  Guimard  will  see 
you  every  day,  to  advise  and  assist  you,  and,  at  the  critical  moment, 
you  will  send  for  him.  But  we  have  said  nothing  about  the  godfather 
and  godmother.  You  are  to  announce  them,  as  if  they  were  coming ; 
and  an  instant  afterwards  you  will  pretend  to  receive  a  letter,  inform- 
ing you  that  they  cannot  come.  You  will  then  pretend  not  to  know 
what  to  do ;  and  Guimard  will  say,  The  best  way  is  to  have  anybody 
you  can  get.  You  will  then  take  the  servant  of  the  house,  and  some 
pauper  or  chairman,  and  give  them  only  twelve  francs,  to  avoid  attract- 
ing notice." — "A  louis,"  interrupted  Madame,  "that  you  may  not 
make  mischief  in  another  way." 

When  the  King  was  gone,  Madame  said  to  me,  "  Well,  what  do  you 
think  of  my  part  in  this  affair  ?" — "  It  is  that  of  a  superior  woman,  and 
an  excellent  friend,"  said  I.  "  It  is  his  heart  that  I  wish  to  possess," 
answered  she ;  "  and  none  of  these  little  uneducated  girls  will  deprive 
me  of  that.  I  should  not  be  so  tranquil  if  some  beautiful  woman  of  the 
court  were  to  attempt  the  conquest."  I  asked  Madame  whether  the 
young  lady  knew  that  the  father  of  the  child  was  the  King.  "  I  do  not 
think  so,"  said  she;  "but  as  he  seemed  to  love  this  one,  it  is  thought 
that  there  has  been  too  much  readiness  to  let  her  know  it.  Were  it 
not  for  that,  it  was  to  have  been  insinuated  to  the  world,  that  the  father 
was  a  Polish  nobleman,  related  to  the  Queen ;  and  that  he  had  apart- 
ments in  the  chateau." 

After  receiving  some  additional  instructions,  I  went  to  the  avenue 
of  St.  Cloud,  where  I  found  the  abbess,  and  Guimard,  a  servant  belong- 
ing to  the  chateau,  with  a  nurse  and  assistant,  two  old  domestics,  and 
a  girl  half  housemaid,  half  femme  de  charabre.  The  young  lady  was 
extremely  pretty  and  elegantly  dressed,  but  had  nothing  very  striking 
in  her  appearance.  I  supped  with  her  and  the  gouvernante,  called 
Madame  Bertrand.  I  gave  the  lady  the  aigrette,  which  delighted  her 
wonderfully.  The  next  day  I  had  a  private  conversation  with  her,  when 
she  asked  me,  "  How  is  the  count?  (meaning  the  King);  he  will  be 
very  sorry  that  he  cannot  be  with  me ;  but  he  has  been  obliged  to  take 
a  long  journey."  I  assented.  "  He  is  a  very  handsome  man,"  con- 
tinued she,  "  and  loves  me  with  all  his  heart;  he  has  promised  me  an 
annuity,  but  I  love  him  disinterestedly,  and,  if  he  would  take  me,  1 
would  go  to  Poland  with  him."  She  afterwards  talked  of  her  parents. 
"  My  mother,"  said  she,  "kept  a  great  druggist's  shop  ;  and  my  father 
belonged  to  the  six  companies,  and  every  one  knows  there  is  nothing 
better  than  that ;  he  was  twice  very  near  being  sheriff." 


AND  OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS.  329 

Six  days  afterwards  she  was  delivered  of  a  boy,  but  was  told,  accord- 
ing to  my  instructions,  that  it  was  a  girl ;  and  soon  afterwards,  that 
it  was  dead,  in  order  that  no  trace  of  its  existence  might  remain  for  a 
certain  period,  after  which  it  was  to  be  restored  to  its  mother.  The 
King  gave  ten  or  twelve  thousand  francs  a  year  to  each  of  his  natural 
children,  and  they  inherited  from  one  another.  Seven  or  eight  had 
already  died.  When  I  returned,  Madame  asked  me  many  questions  : 
"  The  King,"  said  she,  "is  disgusted  with  his  princess,  and  I  fancy  he 
will  set  out  for  Poland  in  two  days." — "And  what  will  become  of  the 
young  lady?"  said  I. —  "She  will  be  married  to  some  country  gentle- 
man," said  she ;  "  and  she  will  have  a  fortune  of  forty  thousand  crowns, 
or  so,  and  a  few  diamonds."  This  little  adventure,  which  thus  placed 
me  in  the  King's  confidence,  far  from  procuring  me  marks  of  his  kind- 
ness, seemed  to  make  him  behave  more  coolly  towards  me ;  for  he  was 
ashamed  that  I  should  be  acquainted  with  his  low  amours.  He  was 
also  embarrassed  about  the  services  which  Madame  rendered  him. 

(Journal  of  Madame  de  Hausset.} 

Amongst  the  young  ladies  of  very  tender  age,  with  whom  the  King 
amused  himself  during  the  influence  of  Madame  de  Pompadour,  or 
afterwards,  there  was  also  a  Mademoiselle  Tiercelin,  whom  his  majesty 
ordered  to  take  the  name  of  Bonneval,  the  very  day  she  was  presented 
to  him.  The  King  was  the  first  who  perceived  this  child,  when  not 
above  nine  years  old,  in  the  care  of  a  nurse,  in  the  garden  of  the  Tui- 
leries,  one  day  when  he  went  in  state  to  his  "  good  city  of  Paris:"  and 
having,  in  the  evening,  spoken  of  her  beauty  to  Le  Bel,  the  servant 
applied  to  M.  de  Sartine,  who  traced  her  out,  and  bought  her  of  the 
nurse  for  a  few  louis.  She  was  daughter  of  M.  de  Tiercelin,  a  man 
of  quality,  who  could  not  patiently  endure  an  affront  of  this  nature. 
He  was,  however,  compelled  to  be  silent;  he  was  told  his  child  was 
lost ;  and  that  it  would  be  best  for  him  to  submit  to  the  sacrifice,  unless 
he  wished  to  lose  his  liberty  also. 

Mademoiselle  Tiercelin,  now  become  Madame  de  Bonneval,  was 
introduced  under  that  name  into  the  little  apartments  at  Versailles,  by 
the  King's  desire.  She  was  naturally  very  wild,  and  did  not  like  his 
majesty.  "  You  are  an  ugly  man,"  said  she,  throwing  the  jewels  and 
diamonds,  which  the  King  had  given  her,  out  of  window.  The  Duke 
de  Choiseul  had  the  weakness  to  be  jealous  of  this  child  and  her  father, 
who  were  equally  harmless.  He  was  told  that  the  King  of  Prussia, 
being  tired  of  Madame  de  Pompadour,  was  secretly  labouring  to  get 
Mademoiselle  de  Tiercelin  declared  the  King's  mistress :  the  King  cer- 
tainly doted  on  her.  The  minister  was  assured,  that  M.  Tiercelin 
was  engaged  in  most  extensive  operations,  for  effecting  the  object  of 
this  foreign  intrigue.  The  father  and  daughter  were,  in  consequence, 
separately  confined  in  the  Bastille.  (Anecdotes  of  the  Reign  of  Louis 
XV.,  by  Soulavie.) 

Note  (X),  Page  264. 

The  dauphin,  son  of  Louis  XV.,  had  for  several  years  superintended 
the  education  of  his  three  children,  the  Duke  de  Berri,  afterwards 
Louis  XVI.,  the  Count  de  Provence,  and  the  Count  d'Artois. 

The  deportment  of  the  Duke  de  Berri  was  austere,  serious,  reserved, 
and  often  rough  ;  he  had  no  taste  for  play,  exhibitions,  or  amusements  ; 
he  was  a  youth  of  inviolable  veracity,  constantly  employing  himself, 


830 


HISTORICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


ftt  first,  in  copying,  and  afterwards  in  composing  geographica1 
and  in  filing  iron.     His  father  had  shown  a  predilection  for  him 
excited  the  jealousy  of  his  brothers.     Madame  Adelaide,  who 
loved  him,  used  to  say,  in  order  to  encourage  him,  and  over 
timidity,  "Speak  out  freely,  Bern;  shout,  scold,  make  an  uproar, 
brother  D'Artois  ;  knock  down  my  china,  and  break  it ;  make  some 
the  world."     The  young  Duke  de  Berri  only  became  the  more 
and  could  not  lay  aside  his  natural  character.     (Historical  and  i 
Memoirs  of  the  Reign  of  Louis  XVI.,  by  Soulavie,  vol.  ii.) 


END  OF   VOL.   I. 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


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